Ever wanted to restrict access to your computer files? To help be more secure, you should add a password to open a file. If you just want to help guard against accidental editing changes, then you can add a password to modify a file. Watch this demo to learn how.

Whatever type of password you add to a file, any password you use on your computer should be a strong one. But what's a strong password?

Strong passwords:

• Are at least seven characters long.
• Contain both uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and a symbol character between the second and sixth position.
• Look like a random collection of characters.
• Do not contain repeated characters.
• Do not contain characters that are consecutive, such as 1234, abcd, or qwerty.
• Do not contain patterns, themes, or complete words (in any language).
• Do not use numbers or symbols in place of similar letters, such as $ for S or 1 for l.
• Do not contain any part of your user name for logging on to the Internet or a network.

If you add a password to a file and then forget the password, there's nothing you can do. You're locked out. So make sure you remember your passwords. But don't write them down and leave them next to your keyboard!

Related information:

• Microsoft policy on forgotten passwords

Online training:

• Help protect yourself: Security in Office

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