# Forgotten Password **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 8, 2001, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-password/92164 "2001-11-08T10:06:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![grimpixie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@grimpixie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grimpixie)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-password/92164/1 "2001-11-08T10:06:49Z")
My beloved wife has stored some Crucial Information (work-related) in a Word Document and password-protected it. Then she forgot the password she had chosen… The question is this - Is there any way to access that document now? Microsoft’s [support site](http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q212/1/35.ASP?LN=EN-GB&SD=gn&FR=0) said “No”, but I was hoping one of the Great Brains amongst you might know of some Clever Trick that would help my beloved out of her pickle… Gp ---
**Author:** ![AndyJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8491ac/32.png) [@AndyJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndyJ)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-password/92164/2 "2001-11-08T10:25:22Z")
What version of Word is it? ---
**Author:** ![Amazing\_Tiki\_God](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/779978/32.png) [@Amazing\_Tiki\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amazing_Tiki_God)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-password/92164/3 "2001-11-08T10:35:37Z")
Is it a large amount of information that she needs (like a couple of pages or more)? I can probably tell you how but it’ll be a bit tedious. If your interested let me know and I’ll e-mail you on how to do it or if you have AOL you can IM me and I can probably talk you through it. ---
**Author:** ![grimpixie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@grimpixie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grimpixie)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-password/92164/4 "2001-11-08T10:37:48Z")
She’s using Word 2000 ---
**Author:** ![grimpixie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@grimpixie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grimpixie)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-password/92164/5 "2001-11-08T10:39:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Amazing Tiki God \* > \*\*Is it a large amount of information that she needs (like a couple of pages or more)? I can probably tell you how but it’ll be a bit tedious. If your interested let me know and I’ll e-mail you on how to do it or if you have AOL you can IM me and I can probably talk you through it. \*\* I think it is just a few credit card numbers, not a large amount of info… I would be interested in the “how-to”, if it is not too much trouble. Thanks Gp ---
**Author:** ![Amazing\_Tiki\_God](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/779978/32.png) [@Amazing\_Tiki\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amazing_Tiki_God)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-password/92164/6 "2001-11-08T10:40:10Z")
I’ll e-mail ya how to do. It should be in your in-box in about 10-15 minutes or so. ---
**Author:** ![Popup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/94ad74/32.png) [@Popup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Popup)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-password/92164/7 "2001-11-08T10:43:57Z")
[This program](http://www.softpile.com/Utilities/Password_Recovery/Review_07536_index.html) claims to do it. > [@](#): > > Recover passwords to Microsoft Word files: password to open, password to modify, document protection password. Most passwords are recovered instantly; password to open for Word 97/2000 requires brute-force or dictionary attack. All versions of MS Word (from 2.0 through 2000) are supported. I know nothing about it, appart from that it was one of the first hits found by google. ---
**Author:** ![AndyJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8491ac/32.png) [@AndyJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndyJ)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-password/92164/8 "2001-11-08T10:44:10Z")
[http://www.eboogyman.com/prog/aw97pr.zip](http://www.eboogyman.com/prog/aw97pr.zip) I know it says Word 97 but I just tried it on a Word 2000 document and it worked fine. ---
**Author:** ![Amazing\_Tiki\_God](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/779978/32.png) [@Amazing\_Tiki\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amazing_Tiki_God)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-password/92164/9 "2001-11-08T10:51:25Z")
Hey **grimpixie** these programs look a bit easier than the way I just e-mailed you telling you how to do it. I’d try one of those ways first and if that doesn’t work try the way I told you in the e-mail. ---
**Author:** ![AndyJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8491ac/32.png) [@AndyJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndyJ)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-password/92164/10 "2001-11-08T10:53:26Z")
The one I posted will let you crack passwords upto 5chr in length the one tc posted will work up to 4chr. Any more than that and you may have to go for the Amazing Tiki God way round. ---
**Author:** ![grimpixie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@grimpixie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grimpixie)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-password/92164/11 "2001-11-08T11:02:21Z")
Thanks all - worked nicely!! Gp