How to Make a Read Only Powerpoint Editable on Mac

Are you lot trying to open a PowerPoint presentation that sadly opens up as a read-but file? If the answer is yes, and then y'all are not alone! This isn't a pleasant situation for anyone, however, at that place are many complications and reasons backside why this happens. On a larger note, the solution to this problem is adequately uncomplicated.

To edit your PowerPoint read-only file, merely click on the "Edit Anyhow" button on the horizontal yellowish bar under the ribbon. You can also click on the "File" tab. So, click on "Info". Next, locate and click on "Protect Presentation", and finally click on "Marker every bit Final".

Interestingly, ane of the reasons why your presentation shows as read-merely is because of an in-built characteristic inside PowerPoint! (We'll get to the details of that in a bit). So, this is non something that you demand to fearfulness. We just need to exist a bit more informed on how to fix information technology!

So, in this commodity, I volition be sharing with you the details of why a PowerPoint file shows "Read-only", and what can you practise to save the file and make it editable. Let'due south get started!

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Why is My PowerPoint Read-Merely?

I of the most common reasons for PowerPoint to go a read-but file as when it has been done so intentionally. Why would anyone want to practise this intentionally?

1. "Mark every bit Final" Feature is Enabled

Well, information technology turns out, PowerPoint really provides a built-in feature known as "Mark as Final". This feature turns the PowerPoint file into "Read-Only" mode. The "Mark every bit Last" feature of PowerPoint is designed to permit the readers know that the version of the presentation that they are viewing is the final version and no changes are to be fabricated to that version!

Thus, even though such a presentation can be opened past viewers, they will see a "Read-Simply" prompt both at the summit of the PowerPoint application where the title appears (otherwise known as the title bar), and a yellow strip merely below the ribbons with a button that says "Edit Anyway".

Plainly, in that location are other ways to prevent your viewers from editing your PowerPoint file which is more than fool-proof. More on that later on in the article.

ii. PowerPoint has just Recovered from a Crash

Another common reason for PowerPoint to get into "Read-Merely" manner is when your PowerPoint may have recovered from a crash. Irrespective of whether the PowerPoint awarding was abruptly closed intentionally or unintentionally when a presentation file was open, PowerPoint may open the file in "Read-Only" mode when restarted.

PowerPoint automatically marks the previous saved version as the terminal version of the file and opens it up in the read-only mode.

three. Aforementioned PPT file is Opened Twice at the Same time!

Lastly, PowerPoint may also convert a presentation into "Read-Only" mode when two presentations that have the same name are opened at the same time. Alternatively, the file may likewise become read-only when the aforementioned file has been opened twice by mistake.

This can happen peculiarly when PowerPoint takes some time to answer to the user's first request to open a presentation file leading to the user double-clicking on the same file twice. Although there are checks and balances in place to avoid this event, nevertheless, such problems tin still take identify.

Furthermore, if you lot have perhaps saved a presentation file that has the same name in two unlike locations on your computer, and you lot open up both of them together, PowerPoint can sometimes open the file that has been opened subsequently in read-merely mode.

How to Unlock Read-Merely in PowerPoint?

As abrasive as it may seem, it is quite easy to unlock the read-just way from PowerPoint!

Here's how to exit from the "Read-Simply" way in PowerPoint –

Open the "Read-Only" PowerPoint (PPT) file.
At the peak part simply beneath the ribbon options, you'll see a long yellow banner.
Hover your mouse towards the banner and click on the option "Edit Anyhow".

You will now be able to edit the PowerPoint file every bit you usually would.

Furthermore, make sure that you haven't opened the same file twice by chance. If so, try to close one or both the files and re-open the presentation once over again.

Why Does Read-Only Keep Coming Back in PowerPoint?

Ane of the key reasons why your PowerPoint file may become read-merely every time you lot open it is because the "Marker as Final" feature has been enabled in the settings. As long as this feature has been enabled, your PowerPoint file may keep reopening as a read-but file from fourth dimension to time.

Let us understand how to turn off read-only way in PowerPoint so that you don't have to bargain with this effect.

How to Turn Off Read-Only Fashion in PowerPoint?

Even though clicking on "Edit Anyway" as described to a higher place volition fix the consequence, however, if the presentation has been marked every bit final by the original author, it may continue to prove the read-only manner sometimes.

In order to fix that issue, you will need to accept a slightly longer road. Here's a pace-past-step process to turn off read-only mode in PowerPoint.

ane. Showtime past opening your "read-simply" PowerPoint presentation.

2. Hover to the top menu and so click on the tab named 'File'. Then click on Info.

3. There will be a 'Protect Presentation' selection in clear yellowish.

four. Y'all might come across a dialog box telling y'all "The presentation has been marked every bit final to discourage any editing."

5. To disengage this characteristic, simply click on Protect Presentation. A menu will appear, click on the 'Marker as Final' to fully unlock the desired presentation.

Subsequently doing this you will see that the Read-Merely suffix from your PPT file'due south name will exist gone and yous would be able to freely edit further.

How to Edit a Read-Only PowerPoint File?

After you have done removing the read-only feature from your PowerPoint, you lot can simply edit texts, add animations, images and use features with absolute gratuitous will. Merely getting through the read-merely barrier is the just affair that y'all demand to know to become started with editing.

Interestingly, you tin also go out of the read-but manner in PowerPoint by saving the file with a different name. This will not only permit you to go rid of the read-but mode but also allow you to save a copy of the edits that yous may have made while the file was in the read-but mode.

Let'due south learn how to save a read-merely presentation file.

How to Salvage a Read-Only PowerPoint File?

Saving a PowerPoint file that is in a read-only manner is rather quite uncomplicated. Although you lot don't need to enable "Edit Anyhow", doing so would be recommended. The next footstep is really saving a file in a unlike location on your computer with either the same name or under a dissimilar name.

Here'southward how you tin save a read-merely PowerPoint presentation –

Click on the "File" tab.
Click on "Save As" from the option provided on the left part of your screen.
Navigate to a folder location where yous want to save the file. Experience free to change the proper noun of the file if needed.
Click "Salve".
Lastly, browse to the specific folder where you lot saved the PowerPoint file. Open it and cheque to see if the "Read-Just" mode has been removed.

Why Does Every PowerPoint File Open in Read-Only Mode?

Every bit nosotros take learned then far, one of the key reasons for PowerPoint to open a presentation file in read-only mode is when it has been "Marked every bit Terminal" by the writer of the file. By now, you've too learned how to get rid of this problem.

Even so, the "Mark as Final" feature should only restrict the specific file shared by a particular writer. It typically shouldn't brand all your PowerPoint files "Read-Only".

If this is the case for you, the problem may exist slightly different. Let'due south understand this a bit further.

Sometimes, the file or the binder in which the PowerPoint presentation has been saved itself becomes read-only due to a glitch in the operating system. At that place are several reasons why this could happen. I won't get into details of each of those reasons. However, it is important for us to empathise how to brand this file or folder editable.

Hither'due south what you could practise to remove the read-only from a detail presentation file –

Navigate to the folder in which the file has been saved, and locate the file.
Right-click on the file and select "Backdrop" from the window the only opens up.
A new window volition open up. Click on the "General" tab. Next, clear the check-box from the "Read-But" aspect selection.
Finally, click "OK" and salve your changes.

This should solve the trouble. If information technology nonetheless doesn't fix the event, y'all may want to check whether the folder in which the PowerPoint file has been saved has the editable rights to it and is non marked as read-merely.

If the folder is also being marked as read-just, you will demand to remove the "Read-But" attributes from the folder beginning. Hither's an article that can aid y'all remove the read-only attribute from a folder in Windows.

How to Prevent PowerPoint from Being Edited?

There are quite a few unlike ways in which you tin lock a PowerPoint file or forestall it from being edited. Here are some of the options that you tin can choose from –

Relieve a PowerPoint File as Read-Only
Password protect your PowerPoint file.
Convert a PowerPoint file into a PowerPoint Show File (PPSX)
Convert a PowerPoint file into a PDF file
Convert a PowerPoint file into a Video

Allow's look at some of these methods in detail –

Method 1 – Save a PowerPoint File as Read-Only

To get this done, but practise the opposite of turning off the read-only fashion. Here's a pace-by-step procedure to save a PowerPoint file as Read-Only:

Open the desired PowerPoint presentation, and click on the "File" tab.
Next, click on the "Info" tab from the options presented on the left part of the screen.
Select the "Protect Presentation" option.
From the dropdown, select "Always Open Read-Only".
Finally, save the file by pressing Ctrl+S.

Your presentation file will now exist opened as a read-only file.

Method 2 – Password Protect your PowerPoint presentation

If your colleagues or students haven't been very familiar with your polite manner of discouraging any edits on your final PowerPoint file, then the all-time option for you is to simply encrypt your presentation file using a password protection feature.

Here's what yous need to practice to password protect your PowerPoint presentation –

Open your desired presentation and select the File tab and then click on "Relieve Every bit".
At the bottom of the "Save As" dialogue box, a "Tools" selection will appear.
Click on "General Options".
The box marked equally "Password to Alter" can be used to type in the desired countersign you wish to gear up.
After setting upwards your password and re-entering it for farther verification, but click "OK"

Similarly, you tin also enable password protection from the "Info" tab. To practise that, click on the "File" tab start. Then, click the "Info" tab. Adjacent, click on "Protect Presentation", and finally from the dropdown, click on "Encrypt with Password". Yous volition then be asked to gear up a password. Simply re-enter the same password and click "OK".

While encrypting the PowerPoint file with a countersign, you will be presented with ii options – either to restrict access to the PowerPoint file or to restrict modifying the presentation file. Choose the latter as this will allow your audition to at least view the presentation file without editing it.

Method 3 – Convert PowerPoint presentation equally a PPSX file

Some other method of preventing a PowerPoint presentation from being editing is to convert it into a PowerPoint evidence file or a PPSX file format. Doing and then volition direct open up the presentation file in a PowerPoint Slide Evidence mode thereby restricting the editing capabilities of an private for such a file.

Here's how to convert a PowerPoint presentation to a PowerPoint Prove file (PPSX file)

Click on the "File" tab.
So, click on "Save Every bit" from the panel on the left part of your screen.
On the new window that pops-up, click on the "Save As Type" option.
From the dropdown, curl down and locate the "PowerPoint Show" file blazon option.
Navigate to the desired location and rename the file if needed.
Click on "Save".

Method 4 – Convert PowerPoint Presentation into a PDF File

Another alternative method is to share a PDF version of the presentation instead of the PPT file. All y'all demand to do is catechumen the file to the PDF file format. To practise that, you tin follow the below steps –

Click on the "File" tab.
And then, click on "Export" from the console on the left part of your screen.
On the new window that pops-up, click on the "Create PDF" pick.
Navigate to the desired location and rename the file if needed.
Click on "Save".

You will now detect that in that location is a PDF file added to the folder in which yous saved the file. Make sure that you share this PDF file instead of the PPT presentation.

Method five – Convert PowerPoint File into a Video

Concluding, only not the least, y'all can also convert your presentation into a video. Although the utilize of this method is more suited for creating videos using PowerPoint, however, you tin can likewise utilise this method to ensure that you are able to prevent your viewers from editing information technology.

Here's how to catechumen a PowerPoint file into a video –

Click on the "File" tab.
Then, click on "Salvage As" from the panel on the left part of your screen.
On the new window that pops-up, click on the "MPEG/MP4" choice.
From the dropdown, coil downward and locate the "PowerPoint Show" file type option.
Navigate to the desired location and rename the file if needed.
Click on "Save".

How to Remove Restricted Access in PowerPoint?

PowerPoint too provides you with an option to remove access restrictions that the original author may take put in place.

To remove the restricted access setting in your file, only follow the beneath steps:

Click on the "File" tab.
Next, click on the "Info" tab.
Then, click on "Protect Presentation" and change the permissions which have been applied.

Unselecting the previous options will remove the existing restrictions.

It is important to note that if the file is password-protected, you will need the countersign to change the permissions of the file. Without the original password, y'all won't be able to unlock the permission protections.