This modification is not allowed because the document is opened for viewing only
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Word for Microsoft 365 Word 2021 Word 2019 Word 2016 Word 2013 Word 2010 More...Less If you receive or open a document and can't make any changes, it might be Open for viewing only in Protected View. Follow these steps to edit:
Need more help?Thank you for your feedback!× I was recently sent a form created in Microsoft Word 2013 which I am unable to edit. Any time I try to fill in any of the fields, I am shown the following message in the bottom-left corner:
I am able to edit blank documents or different files without issue, but this specific form will not let me edit it. The form is saved as a standard .docx file, so I'm not sure why I can't edit it. When opened, the document displays in a strange reader view where I navigate between pages by clicking arrows on the left and right side of the document. Why is this document opened for viewing only? How can I make changes? asked Nov 10, 2017 at 14:44
StevoisiakStevoisiak 12.8k36 gold badges94 silver badges149 bronze badges 1 If you want to disable this for all documents, go to Options and uncheck Open e-mail attachments and other uneditable files in reading view. Source answered Aug 15, 2019 at 17:59
DavidDavid 8,8143 gold badges24 silver badges40 bronze badges Open doc, toolbar at top, select "VIEW" - then from drop down select "EDIT DOCUMENT" You can switch back and forth between viewing (reading) and editing from that menu answered Jun 2, 2021 at 12:58
If you’ve opened a document in Word but you can’t edit it, it’s probably locked for editing by someone or by a feature. Learning how to remove read only from Word should help you edit these documents even though they’ve been marked as read-only and aren’t supposed to be edited. There are various reasons as to why people restrict their documents from being edited. Maybe you yourself made the document read-only but you forgot it, or maybe someone has it locked to ensure no unauthorized users can modify the contents of it. Regardless, if you’ve come across a document that you must edit but it’s in read-only mode, there are various methods to fix it and to be able to edit the document. Also, be sure to check out our YouTube channel where we made a short video going over the fixes listed in this article. Remove Read Only From Word By Disabling Edit RestrictionsWe’ll start off by disabling the Word’s built-in feature that lets users restrict their documents from being modified. If you or someone has enabled this option for your current document, it is why you can’t edit it. Disabling the option should fix it for you.
 Your document is no longer in read-only mode and you can actually modify its contents as you wish. Turn Off The Trust Center Options To Remove Word Opening In Read OnlyTrust Center is a feature in Word that blocks certain documents from being fully opened with editing capabilities on your computer. You can disable the feature in the program and that should fix the read only issue you’re facing with your document.
Fix The Word Opening In Read Only For Email AttachmentsMS Word actually has a number of features to protect you from various threats that are spread via Word files. One of these features opens your email attachments in the read-only mode so it can’t affect your computer negatively. This may be the reason why your documents always open in the read-only mode. Turning this option off should fix the issue for you.
The Word files you’ve received as email attachments should now open in regular mode letting you edit them however you want. Disable The Preview Pane In File ExplorerPreview pane in Explorer shows the previews of your files, and for it to do that, it sometimes locks-up your files and prevents you from editing them. A quick solution to that is to simply turn off the pane.
You may now try opening your file in the program to see if it fixed the issue. Toggle An Option In The Properties To Remove Read Only From WordOne of the possible ways to fix read only mode in Word is to change an attribute for your file.
Extract The File Before Opening It In MS WordIf you’re trying to edit a Word file that’s inside an archived format such as RAR or ZIP, you’ll want to first extract the file from it to then edit it. Directly opening the file from an archive sometimes prevents you from editing it.
Why is my Word document open for viewing only?Are the file properties set to read-only? You can check the file properties by right-clicking on the file and choosing Properties. If the Read-only attribute is checked, you can uncheck it and click OK.
Why is my Word document not letting me edit it?Follow these steps to edit: Go to File > Info. Select Protect document. Select Enable Editing.
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