What is causing the “edit capabilities that have been locked” issue?
We investigated this particular issue by looking at various user reports and the repair strategies that are commonly used to resolve this error message. Based on our investigations, there are several different scenarios that will end up triggering this problem on Mac computers and iPad tablets: If you’re currently struggling to resolve the “This document has certain edit capabilities that have been locked” error, this article will provide you with several different repair strategies that other affected users have successfully used to fix the problem. For the best results, we advise you to follow the methods below in the order that they are presented in. One of the potential fixes is bound to resolve the issue in your particular scenario.
Method 1: Update Word version to the latest version
As some users have reported, this issue can also be caused by a glitch that Microsoft already patched with a couple of hotfixes. If you want to take advantage of them and avoid using any workarounds, the easiest way to fix this issue is to update your Word version to the latest build. This will ensure that every hotfix that Microsoft released for the Word application is applied. Here’s a quick guide on how to update Word to the latest version: If you’re still seeing the “This document has certain edit capabilities that have been locked” when you’re trying to edit a document with Microsoft Word on Mac, move down to the next method below.
Method 2: Rebuilding the Normal Template
As it turns out, this particular issue can also be caused by a corrupted Normal.dotm template. This file will open whenever you start Microsoft World and it includes a collection of default styles and customizations that will determine the basic look of a document. If you’re encountering the “This document has certain edit capabilities that have been locked” error with every new document that you create, chances are you’re dealing with a corrupted Normal. dotm template. Fortunately, if this scenario is applicable, you can resolve the issue quite easily by rebuilding the Normal.dotm file. Here’s a quick guide on how to do this: If you’re still encountering the This document has certain edit capabilities that have been locked” error, move down to the next method below.
Method 3: Saving the document to the current format (.docx)
This particular error can also occur if the file you’re working on is of an old file format that is no longer being actively used by Microsoft Word. If you’re trying to use newer Word features on an older document that is using a file format that is not .docx, chances are you’ll encounter this particular issue. If this scenario is applicable, you can resolve the issue quite easily by saving the current file with the .docx file format and give it a new name. To do this, use the ribbon at the top to go to File > Save as, then choose the current Microsoft Word format (.docx) from the list of file types. Then, set a new name for your file and hit Save. Once the file has been migrated to the newer file format, open the new file and see if you’re still encountering the same error message. If you’re still seeing the “This document has certain edit capabilities that have been locked” error, move down to the next method below.
Method 4: Activate your Microsoft Office product
Another possible reason why you might be encountering this particular error when trying to edit .docx files in the Mac version of Word is that the software is not activated. If you have the product key for it, access the File menu from any Office application and you will be given the option to activate it. If your Office product is already activated, move down to the next method below.
Method 5: Resolving a password alteration conflict (if applicable)
As it turns out, this particular issue can also be caused by a password alteration conflict in KeyChain Access caused by the Microsoft software installer. This is a well-documented issue that is known to be caused by the installers for a couple of Office 2016 updates. If this scenario is applicable and you’re encountering the issue on a Mac computer, here’s what you need to do to resolve the conflict: If the issue is still occurring, move down to the method below.
Method 6: Reinstalling the entire Office installation
For some users, the issue was only resolved after they clean installed the entire Office installation again. This is necessary because the standard procedure that Microsoft implemented for removing the old file when installing a newer Office installation is insufficient in some cases. In certain scenarios, several files will be left behind and will end up triggering the “This document has certain edit capabilities that have been locked” error with all documents opened in Word. Here’s a quick guide on how to completely uninstall the entire Office suite before doing a clean install: If you’re still encountering the same error message, move down to the next method below.
Method 7: Creating a new machine profile
Some users that we’re encountering the “This document has certain edit capabilities that have been locked” error have reported that the issue stopped occurring after they created a new admin profile on their Mac. This is confirmed to work on multiple OsX versions, as long as your product is activated. There’s no official explanation why this fix is effective, but some users are speculating that it’s probably a permission issue. Here’s a quick guide on creating a new profile on your Mac computer:
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