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This Modification is Not Allowed in MS Office: 5 Quick Fixes
Make sure the Office version if activated!
3 min. read
Updated onOctober 4, 2023
updated onOctober 4, 2023
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Key notes
While editing aMicrosoft Officedocument, you may encounter a warning message stating that the selection is locked. The full error message readsThis modification is not allowed because the selection is locked.
This is a common error and occurs if your Office app is not activated when there are multiple instances of Office installed, or if the file is being edited by someone else.
If you are also troubled by this error, here are a couple of troubleshooting tips to fix theThis modification is not allowed because the selection is lockedin Word 2016.
How do I fix Modification is not allowed because the selection is locked?
Before we move to the slightly complex solutions, try these quick ones first:
If none work, head to the fixes listed next.
1. Check Office activation
To fix the error, make sure your Office version if activated. You can encounter the modification locked error when Office 2016 is not activated.
2. Check for multiple instances of Office
If you have multiple versions of Microsoft Office installed, uninstall the older version. Most of the time, you have a trial version of Office Installed, which needs to be uninstalled to fix theThis modification is not allowed because the selection is lockederror.
3. Change file attributes
Many users reported that the misconfigured file attributes triggered the modification locked error in Office 2019. Reconfiguring the changes fixed things in no time and they could edit the file.
4. Remove file restriction
Microsoft Office users can apply restrictions on the file to prevent editing. Check if your file also has any restrictions and remove them if any are found.
5. Remove grouping
If the group content control has been applied to part of your document, ungrouping the file will resolve the issue. And this should, in all likelihood, fix theThis modification is not allowed because the selection is lockederror.
Before you leave, find out tospeed up Microsoft Officeif it’s running slow.
Do let us know which fix worked for you in the comments.
More about the topics:Microsoft Office,windows 10
Tashreef Shareef
Tashreef Shareef is a software developer turned tech writer. He discovered his interest in technology after reading a tech magazine accidentally. Now he writes about everything tech from Windows to iOS and streaming services to IoT at WindowsReport.
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