Solved: You Can't Make This Change Because the Selection Is Locked Windows/Mac

Part 1. Why is My Microsoft Word Locked and Won't Let Me Type?

When Microsoft Word won't let you type or edit your document, showing the error “You can't make this change because the selection is locked” at the bottom, it's crucial to figure out the reason behind the issue. Let's dig into below:

• Your Office isn't active. It might be a trial that's expired, or you haven't activated it.
• You have multiple Office versions installed, and the one you're using doesn't have a license.
• Your document might be protected with a password or restricted editing permissions.
• The document might have been opened in read-only mode.
• If the document is open on another computer or by another user, it could be locked to prevent simultaneous editing.
• The document is marked as “Final,” which means editing is off.
• If the document is corrupted, Word may lock it to prevent further damage.

Part 2. How to Fix “You Can't Make This Change Because the Selection Is Locked”

The solutions to fix a locked selection in Microsoft Word can vary depending on the underlying reasons. Here, we'll show you how to unlock Microsoft Word selection in 9 common ways:

for Windows

• Way 1. Activate Your Office Suite
• Way 2. Enable Design Mode in Microsoft Word
• Way 3. Disable the Mark as Final Option
• Way 4. Remove Restrict Editing
• Way 5. Check Sharing and Collaboration Settings
• Way 6. Change the Document Property
• Way 7. Run Office as Administrator
• Way 8. Ungroup the Word Document

for Mac

• Way 9. Factory Reset Macbook & Reinstall Microsoft Office

Way 1. Activate Your Office Suite

Make sure that your Microsoft Office Suite is activated and properly licensed so that you can have the proper access to edit your document in Microsoft Word. If it's not, follow these steps to activate your Office Suite with product key:

• Launch Microsoft Word on your computer.

• Go to File > Account. Click on Activate Product.

  

• Provide the necessary credentials linked to your Microsoft Office subscription or account.

  
• Follow on-screen instructions to complete the activation process.
• Close Microsoft Word and reopen your Word document.

Way 2. Enable Design Mode in Microsoft Word

To tackle the “Selection is locked in Word” issue, you can activate “Design Mode,” which allows you to work with form fields and document elements. Here's how to enable it:

• Open your locked document. Click “File”, then choose “Options” from the menu.

• Select “Customize Ribbon” in left bar, check the box next to “Developer”, and click “OK.” This will add the Developer tab in the Word Ribbon.

  

• Return to your document and click on the newly enabled “Developer” tab. You'll find the “Design Mode” button. Click on it.

  

With Design Mode enabled, you should be able to edit form fields and document elements without encountering the "Selection is Locked" issue.

Way 3. Disable the Mark as Final Option

If your Word document has been stamped with a “Final” label, you won't be able to tinker with it. To get around this, follow these steps to disable the “Mark as Final” option:

• Open the locked document. Click on “File” up top and choose “Info” on the left side.
• Under “Protect Document,” click on the dropdown arrow.

• Uncheck the “Mark as Final” box to turn it off.

  
• Close Word and then reopen your Word file. You should now regain editing control.

Way 4. How to Unlock Selection in Word via Removing Restrict Editing

When your document is restricted for editing, you may get the “You can't make this change because the selection is locked” error in Microsoft Word.

Here's how to fix Microsoft Word selection is locked by removing editing restriction:

• Open your Word document with the locked selection.

• Navigate to the “Review” tab, look for and click on the “Restrict Editing” option in the “Protect” group.

  

• In the “Restrict Editing” pane, click on “Stop Protection” at the bottom. If your document is protected with a password, enter the password in the “Unprotect Document” box and press “Enter.” This will unlock your Word file, allowing you to edit it again.

  

Way 5. Check Sharing and Collaboration Settings

If you encounter “You can't make this change because the selection is locked” in Word when you're collaborating on a document multiple people, you can check your sharing and collaboration settings to see if someone is limiting editing. Here' what you can do:

• Open the locked document. Look up at the top right corner of the Word window. If you spot icons like multiple people or a cloud, it means the document is being shared or worked on collaboratively.

• Click the “Share” button on top to see who can access the document and what they can do with it.

  

• Take a look at the list of people who can access the document and do editing. Ask permission from the co-author or owner to edit the document.

  

Way 6. How to Unlock in Microsoft Word via Changing the Document Property

When it comes to the selection locked in word hassle, changing the property of your document (such as title, author, keywords, permission settings, etc.) can help you out. Please walk through the following intructions to remove words from locked. Here, you can also find how to unlock a word document from Read only:

• After open the locked word, tap the top-left "File" tab and choose "Info" from the left sidebar.

• Click on the "Properties" tab from the upper-right screen and choose "Advanced Properties" from the draw-down menu.

  

• Here are 5 sections you can edit: General, Summary, Statistics, Content, and Custom. It is recommended to change the title, author, manager, and the like properties from "Summary". Also, deselect the "Read only" option from "General" to unlock selection in word.

  

Way 7. How to Unlock Selection in Microsoft Word via Run as Administrator

Microsoft word selection is locked when you lose the control to your document. Amid this, try to run the Microsoft Office app as administrator. Here's how to unlock selection in Microsoft Word:

• Go to the File Explorer app and choose "This PC".
• Navigate to the "Local Disk(C:) " > "Program Files" > Microsoft Office" > "Office 16"(or Office 21/17, etc.)

• Find the "OSPPREARM.EXE" file and right-click on it. Then choose "Run as administrator".

  
• Repeat the process for three times. Once done, open the locked MS word document to check if the selection is unlocked.

Way 8. How to Unlock a Word File Locked for Editing via Ungrouping Word Doc

The error message "You can't make this change because the selection is locked" will also display when the all or part of a Word doc. applies the grounping content control. In this case, we'd better ungroup it. Here's how to remove the grouping to unlock word document:

• On the top toolbar of the opening document, click "Developer".

• Then click the "Group" tab and select "Ungroup" from the drawdown list.

  

Way 9. Factory Reset Macbook and Reinstall Microsoft Office to Unlock Selection in Word

"You can't make this change because the selection is locked." can also appear on Macbook. Apart from the above 8 fixes, we found a firsthand solution provided by other users on Reddit. That is to factory reset the Macbook and then reinstall the Microsoft Office on the computer.

However, please note that this method is along with the risk of data loss. Please remeber to back up your Mac before factory reset. Or, you can walk through the following ultimate method.

People Also Read:

How to Repair and Recover Corrupted or Damaged Excel File on Mac

Part 3. Repair Corrupted/Damage Word Document to Unlock Selection in Word

If the above solutions don't work and your Word file remains locked, it could be corrupted or damaged. In such cases, we recommend using 4DDiG File Repair to recover content from corrupted Word files. 4DDiG File Repair is a versatile tool designed to effortlessly repair corrupted or damaged files including MS Word documents. Here's why it stands out as the best choice for document repair:

• Address a wide range of word file corruption issues, including those prevent you from editing or typing.
• Batch repair files of different formats such as DOCX, DOCM, DOTM, XLSX, XLSM, PPTX, PPTM, , PDF, PSD and PSB files.
• Preserves formatting, charts, links, images, and tables in corrupted Word files.
• Fully rescue your data from stubborn Word files that won't open.
• No learning curve is required.

Here's how to repair a corrupted Word file with the 4DDiG Repair tool:

• Add Corrupted Word Documents

  Open up 4DDiG File Repair on your PC. Go to “File Repair” and upload your corrupted MS Word file by hitting the “Add Files” button.

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• Repair Corrupted Word Documents

  Click “Repair All” once you've got your file imported. The software will dig into your files and repair any detected errors or corruption. Click “Preview” to check the repaired Word file when the repair is done.

  

• Export Repaired Word Documents

  If everything looks good, save the repaired files by hitting the "Save" button and choose where to save them.

  

Also Read:

[Tutorial] How to Recover Overwritten Word Document?

Final Words

Dealing with “You can't make this change because the selection is locked” Windows 10/11 error can be a real challenge, as it hampers your ability to edit Word files and disrupts your work. However, we've covered six handy fixes to address this issue, from activating your Office Suite to checking sharing settings.

If your Word file is corrupted, consider trying 4DDiG File Repair, which is known for its success in repairing Office files, including severely damaged Word documents. Hopefully, with these solutions you can unlock selection in Word and regain control over your documents for editing.