How to Lock a Powerpoint for Creator Edits Only

After you spend a large amount of time perfecting a PowerPoint presentation, the last thing you want is for someone to go into your document and edit it. Unlike other Office 2007 and 2010 programs, PowerPoint doesn’t have buttons in the program itself to set passwords; you have to set it through the back door, when you are trying to save the presentation. If you set a modification password, anyone can open the presentation, but they cannot make any edits unless they know the password.

Instructions

1. Open the presentation that you want to lock by double-clicking on the file.

2. Click on the round Office button at the top-left corner of the PowerPoint Window.

3. Choose “Save As” from the drop-down menu that appears. Click on the actual “Save As” button, not the buttons that appear to the right when your mouse is over “Save As.”

4. Click on “Tools” at the bottom of the “Save As” window. Choose “General Options” form the list of options that appear when you clicked “Tools.”

5. Enter the password that you want to set in the “Password to Modify” box. Then click on “OK” and retype your password when you are asked.

6. Navigate to the folder where you want to save the file. Click on “Save” to save the file. The password will not stick unless you save the file.

References

• GroovyPost: Password Protect Microsoft Office 2007 Documents
• GroovyPost: Passwor dProtect and Encrypt Microsoft Office 2010 Documents
• Microsoft: Enabling Password Rules for Office 2010