WD: Password Protection Lost When Saving as Previous Versions (110109)

SYMPTOMS

When you save a Word document in a format other than the current Word version, and password protect the document or protect it from revisions, annotations, or forms with a password, the password is not retained. You can reopen, edit, and resave the converted file in Word or another word processor without the need to specify the password.

CAUSE

All export binary file format converters supplied with Word use the Microsoft Rich Text Format (RTF) as an intermediate format when saving in a non-default format. The RTF specification does not support the retention of password information. The converter therefore does not retain password protection when saving a document in any format besides the default.

MORE INFORMATION

To open an existing Word document prior to saving in a different format, you must know the document's password. Therefore, the limitation referenced above does not represent a compromise of security in Word. You simply need to be aware that to retain password protection in a "Word Document (*.doc)", you must work with a password protected document in the same version of Word that the Word document was protected in.

In Word 98 for the Macintosh, when you save a password protected document in a format other than "Word Document (*.doc)", Word still removes the password protection, but displays the following message as a warning that the password will be lost:

This document is password protected. Saving this document in a format other than the current version of Word will result in the loss of this protection. Do you want to continue?

For additional information about converting password protected documents in Word, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

168098 WD: Word Cannot Convert Password Protected Documents