[Solved] Word Cannot Open the Document: User Does Not Have Access Privileges

Theo Lucia

Dec 16, 2024 • Filed to: Recover Files • Proven solutions

While using this word processor, many have encountered different kinds of issues. One of them is "Word cannot open the document: user does not have access privileges." Try the solution discussed in this article to solve the issue.

People all over the world use Microsoft Word for their daily work. While using this word processor, many have encountered different kinds of issues. One of them is "Word cannot open the document: user does not have access privileges." The error message problem can occur on both Windows and Mac, which means you do not have enough privileges to view the content. Mainly the error pop-up repeatedly:

• When you transfer files from another computer
• When you update your Word client
• When you encrypt files and many more

However, if you try to open a Word document and it keeps saying that the user does not have access privileges; try the solutions mentioned below:

Solution 1: Get all Word file permissions

The error message usually appears if your document has been saved with certain permissions. So, it is suggested to get all permissions for the Word file first, follow the steps below:

Step 1: Right-click on the problematic file, and select the "Properties" tab. Then, navigate to the "Security" tab and click on the "Advanced" tab.

Step 2. When you are in the permission tab, click on the "Add" button.

Step 3: Select a "Principal" option and then click on "Advanced."

Step 4: Now you can start searching for user/group and click on "Find New," and the list of all "Authenticated Users" will be shown. Press, "OK."

Step 5: Mark tick at all the basic permission checkboxes "Full Control," then click "OK."

Now you have got full control of the Word document. In case this solution does not work, you can proceed to the next solution!

Solution 2: Removing Properties and Personal Information

The Word document regularly saves personal information (name of author, manager, date, content created, etc.) in the file information section. However, removing properties and personal information is a sufficiently effective method of eliminating the "Word cannot open the document: user does not have access privileges" error.

Follow the steps:

Step 1: Right-click on the problematic file, and select the "Properties" tab. Click on the "Details" section and click on the "Remove properties and personal information" option.

Step 2: Mark Check at the option "Create a copy with all possible properties removed" and click the "OK" button.

Now try to open the created Word file copy. Did it work? If you still get the error "Word cannot open the document: the user does not have access privileges," you can skip to the next solution!

Solution 3: Check Your Antivirus Software

Many anti-viruses have a characteristic where they automatically protect documents and source access problems like "Word cannot open the document: user does not have access privileges."

If antivirus is installed on your computer, you can check the setting to see if the Word file is protected. If so, you can remove the file from the protected list, and hopefully, it will resolve the issue.

Solution 4: Copy the document to another location

You can also try copying all existing documents to another hard drive and check if the problem continues.

Step 1: Open the external hard drive and select all files to copy to another location.
Step 2: Right-click and select Copy.
Step 3: Now navigate to your system and in an accessible location, create a new folder, and paste all the contents.

Solution 5: Changing "Inherit from parent entries" Option

"Inheritance from parent entries" is an option available from Microsoft that is ready to be activated from the beginning. It makes easy access and simple things if you work with Word regularly. But it can cause the problem of Word user does not have access privileges. So you can turn it off to try.

Step 1: Right-click on the problematic file, and select the "Properties" tab. Then, navigate to the "Security" tab and click on the "Advanced" tab.

Step 2: Click on "Disable inheritance" at the bottom of the screen. To save changes press "Apply" and then "exit." Now hopefully, you can access the file.

Solution 6: Use Recoverit Word Recovery

Today on the internet, there are various software available online that claim to recover damaged documents. One of the best-known tools is Wondershare Recoverit Word Recovery. It can restore all office type files from your computer hard drives, memory cards, SD cards, etc., using its powerful algorithm.

However, if you want to recover any of your deleted word documents, depending on your system (Windows or Mac OS), download and install Recoverit successfully, then follow the steps:

Step 1: Select the location
Choose the location (storage drive) where you have lost your Word documents and click on the "Start" button to begin scanning.

Step 2: Scan the source
Wait for a while, and the application is scanning to retrieve all kinds of lost and deleted content.

Step 3: Preview and Recover
Once the scan is done, you can preview your Word documents' content before recovery—Mark those you want and click on the "Recover" tab.

Recoverit Word Recovery can easily obtain your unsaved and deleted files/documents. But it is better to save all recovered files to other locations again in case of data loss.

Conclusion

Microsoft Word is a widely used word processor. If you encounter the problem "word cannot open the document: user does not have access privileges," it can be very unpleasant. As we mentioned in this article, even for users with little or no knowledge, there are various options available to solve it.

Sometimes people may need additional help to recover deleted word documents from third-party data recovery tools. In such cases, Recoverit Word Recovery will hopefully allow you to successfully recover corrupted or damaged data of all files and restore the best and fullest version of the document you need.