Buzz
During the process of editing Word documents (both Word 2016 and 2019), some users report encountering a locking error, preventing text input. An error message stating 'This modification is not allowed because the selection is locked' appears on the screen.
Fixing the Word 2016 and Word 2019 Typing Glitch
If you're facing this error too, refer to the article below for detailed instructions on how to fix it.
Method 1: Check if Office is activated.
Method 2: Check for multiple Office versions.
Method 3: Change file properties.
Method 4: Remove file restrictions.
Method 5: Delete Groups.
Word 2016 and 2019 Locking Issue: Unable to Edit or Type
1. Method 1: Check if Office is activated
As mentioned by Mytour earlier, the cause of the Word 2016 and Word 2019 locking error, preventing editing and typing, is due to the Office software not being activated with a valid license.
To resolve this error, the first solution is to activate the Office license.
Step 1: Open any Office software (Word, Excel, ...).
Step 2: On the displayed window, click on File =>Account.
Step 3: If the software activation notification appears on the screen, enter the Product Key to activate.
2. Method 2: Check for multiple Office versions
Assuming you have installed multiple versions of Office, try uninstalling older versions. Removing the trial version of Office Installed may also help resolve the 'This modification is not allowed because the selection is locked' error.
Step 1: Press Windows + R to open the Run window.
Step 2: Type Control into it and then press Enter or click OK to open the Control Panel.
Step 3: In the Control Panel window, navigate to Program =>Programs and Features.
Step 4: Select the trial version of Office and choose Uninstall to remove it.
Step 5: Finally, try opening any Word 2016 or 2019 file and attempt to edit it to see if the issue of being unable to type or edit persists.
3. Method 3: Change file properties
Step 1: Close all Word documents you have open on your computer.
Step 2: Navigate to the location where the file is saved, right-click on the file, and select Properties.
Step 3: In the window displayed on the screen, click on the Advanced button.
Step 4: Here, uncheck the options File is ready for archiving and Allow this file to have contents indexed in addition to file properties.
Step 5: Click on OK to save the changes.
Step 6: Click on Apply =>OK.
Step 7: Finally, close the Properties window and check if the Word 2016 and 2019 locking error preventing typing or editing persists.
4. Method 4: Remove file restrictions
In some cases, the sender of the Word document may have set some restrictions, preventing you from editing the document. Try checking if your Word document has any restrictions set and remove them.
Step 1: First, open the Word 2016 and 2019 document that is experiencing the issue.
Step 2: Click on the Review Tab.
Step 3: Click on the Restrict Editing option.
Step 4: Uncheck the options Allow only this type of editing in the document and Limit formatting to a selection of style.
Step 5: Finally, try opening and editing the file again to see if the issue has been resolved.
5. Method 5: Delete Group
Finally, if content is grouped, try removing that group to fix the Word 2016 and 2019 locking error preventing editing and typing.
Step 1: Open the Word 2016 and 2019 document experiencing the issue.
Step 2: Click on the Developer tab.
Step 3: Click on Group and select Ungroup.
Download the latest Word 2019:
Download the latest Word 2016:
Above, Mytour has just guided you through some methods to fix the Word 2016 and 2019 locking error preventing editing and typing. Additionally, readers can refer to some articles already available on Mytour to learn more about removing spaces and line break errors in Word.
- Read more: Remove spaces and line break errors in Word.
