MacMost Now 524: Password Protected Documents

Learn how to create documents that can only be opened with a password. Documents in Pages and Microsoft Word can have passwords that restrict opening and use. Preview can be used to make copies of PDF files that require a password to open.

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Video Transcript: Hi, this is Gary with MacMost Now. On today's episode, let's learn how to password protect documents.
So I want to show you three different ways to create documents and password protect them. First, we use Pages, then Microsoft Word, and then we'll use Preview to create password protected PDFs. 
So in Pages, if you want to password protect the document you're working on, you want to first open the Inspector, and then in the Inspector, go to the Documents pane. All the way at the bottom of the Documents pane you'll find "Password required to open." Simply select that, then you will be asked to enter in a password and verify it again. Over to the right here you'll actually see the little key icon, which allows you to come up with a random password if you click it. You can give a password hint as well, and then set the password. Now it's required to have a password to open it. So if we save the document, and then we look at it, we see it's got a padlock icon. Double-click it and it'll ask us for the password for the document to open.
Now here in Microsoft Word 2011 for Mac, you can find similar functionality if you go to Word Preferences with your document open, and from there you go to Security, and you see Security Options for the current document that's open. You can set a password to open and also a password to modify, and click Protect Document. 
There's also the Tools Protect Document command and you can set a password for slightly different things here. You can make it Read only, Tracking changes, and Forms on the current document. 
Now, you can create a password protected document from just about anything by creating a PDF (you can use Print as PDF), and once you do that you can open it up in Preview. Once you've opened it up in Preview as a PDF, you can Save As and one of the options you get is to encrypt the document and give it a password and verify it. And now when you try to open it, you can see there's something there but you can't see what it is. You have to enter the password on this big red screen that comes up before the document's revealed. 
Now if you're actually working in Pages and you want to create the PDF, you have more options. You can go to File Export, and of course, you can choose PDF here. And under Security Options, you can not only set a password for opening the document, but you can also restrict printing or copying content from the document with a password. 
Showed you how to look at password protecting documents using Pages, Word, or Preview. If you want to know how to password protect a group of files, you may want to check all the way back to Episode #46 for a method of doing that. 
Til next time, this is Gary with MacMost Now.

Comments: 5 Responses to “MacMost Now 524: Password Protected Documents”

Andrew Murr

14 years ago

All the time I've had my iMac, Gradually I think I've been Using my Mac OS X DVD (to solve a few problems) a bit too much. Generally I thought that first using it to solve problems, it returns everything back to factory settings. Then to freshly re-install Optional software/ Software bundles using the two discs. The installed software in Software update,a list of individual software installed should appear.
Several installations of each software appears.Dating back to last December. Should I have backed up the files onto a DVD or CD, or external Hard drive, before erasing everything in Disc Utilities. and proceeding with the Mac OS X DVD process

Gary Rosenzweig

So you are using your DVD to wipe the drive and start from scratch? Why? What's happening that is making you do that?
I go years without doing that, and I have multiple Macs.
And if I thought it was the solution to a problem, I would only re-install OS X. I wouldn't wipe the whole drive. I would leave the applications and documents all intact.

I am generally starting fresh. because after I've used the Mac OS X install, and reinstalling all the software, thus using up all that space on the Disc, thus slowing down my Mac, because all the previous software installed are still listed in installed software in software update.

If I buy the new improved Snow leopard software, No Doubt I will have to clear everything on my Macintosh HD to make room for new installations

Why? Only if you are very tight on space. Most people have found that installing Snow Leopard gives them back some space as Snow Leopard is smaller than Leopard.

Comments Closed.

MacMost Now 524: Password Protected Documents

Comments: 5 Responses to “MacMost Now 524: Password Protected Documents”

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