Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning - Accessibility

Protected View can be disabled in multiple ways

Disable Protected View on an individual file

Note: This step requires the action to be performed on each file.

Instructions to Disable Protected View for an individual file:: Press F6.; Tab to the Enable Editing button.; Press Enter.

Permanently Disable Protected View for every file on your workstation

The file can be obtained from various sources like and likewise has multiple configurations options to disable Protected View to suit your needs. Note: This step could leave you unprotected from malicious intent. So you should be careful to only open files from trusted sources.

Instructions to Permanently Disable Protected View:: Press Alt-F to open the File button.; Press T to open Options.; Down Arrow to Trust Center.; Press Alt-T to activate the Trust Center Settings button.; Down Arrow to Protected View.; Tab to the Enable Protected View for files originating from the Internet check box.; Press Space to uncheck the box.; Tab to the Enable Protected View for files located in potentially unsafe locations check box.; Press Space to uncheck the box.; Tab to the Enable Protected View for Outlook attachments check box; Press Space to uncheck the box.; Tab to the OK button.; Press Enter and the Trust Center dialog will close.; Tab to the OK button.; Press Enter and the Word Options dialog will close.

What is Protected View?

To help protect your computer, files from potentially unsafe locations are opened in Protected View. Files that could be forced to open in Protected View could come from the Internet, Outlook attachments, files that fail validation, or files located in potentially unsafe locations.

Protected View can interfere with screen readers like JAWS. When opening document that is forced into protected view, you might hear it read aloud the file name and the words ( Protected View ).

Protected View settings explained

Enable Protected View for files originating from the Internet: The Internet is considered an unsafe location because of its many opportunities for malicious intent.
Enable Protected View for files that are located in potentially unsafe locations: This refers to folders on your computer or network that are considered unsafe, such as the Temporary Internet folder or other folders assigned by your administrator.
Enable Protected View for Outlook attachments: Attachments in emails can come from unreliable or unknown sources.