# Is it possible to prevent someone from downloading a Word file? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 26, 2007, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-prevent-someone-from-downloading-a-word-file/424111 "2007-10-26T14:50:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2007, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-prevent-someone-from-downloading-a-word-file/424111/1 "2007-10-26T14:50:46Z")
Long story short, I’ve got a freelancing client who is slow to pay his bills. I’d like to be able to put the project on the web, but I don’t want him (or anyone else) to be able to download the file for their own use. I know you can block right-click for images to prevent hotlinking and theft, but is there a way to do something similar for Word or any other kind of documents? Thanks, Robin ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2007, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-prevent-someone-from-downloading-a-word-file/424111/2 "2007-10-26T14:54:28Z")
Not really - in fact a computer viewing it will have to download it in order to view it - even when you just click on a Word file that is online and it opens in IE, it’s still being downloaded to the local cache before it opens. Also, if your visitor doesn’t have a browser that can view Word documents inside it, it will only offer him the option of saving it or opening with something else. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2007, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-prevent-someone-from-downloading-a-word-file/424111/3 "2007-10-26T14:54:46Z")
Can you elaborate what you mean when you say “put the project on the web”? I take that to mean exactly what you want to prevent, allowing people to download the documents of the project. ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2007, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-prevent-someone-from-downloading-a-word-file/424111/4 "2007-10-26T15:10:25Z")
You can password protect the document to prevent editing or opening. Or put it up as a pdf. You can also add a watermark to the document. “Draft,” “I haven’t paid for this document yet,” whatever. In combination, this might be the next best thing. ---
**Author:** ![Cleophus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e57/32.png) [@Cleophus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cleophus)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2007, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-prevent-someone-from-downloading-a-word-file/424111/5 "2007-10-26T15:31:10Z")
If your web presentation is the .doc file viewed in the browser then there is no way to prevent it being “downloaded.” The file has to be downloaded to view it in the browser. What most people think of “downloading” files is fundamentally the same as viewing it in the browser. Only the location the files are saved to is different. Even your example of “disabling” right click is flawed. Simply disabling Javascript will bypass the page catching the right click, and the image is stored in the browser’s cache, anyway. Basically, allowing public access to content is at odds with restricting how that content is used. If the .doc is presented as HTML then there is nothing to stop someone from copying the data and pasting it into their own document, either. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2007, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-prevent-someone-from-downloading-a-word-file/424111/6 "2007-10-26T15:32:57Z")
[QUOTE=Gfactor] You can password protect the document to prevent editing or opening. Or put it up as a pdf. You can also add a watermark to the document. “Draft,” “I haven’t paid for this document yet,” whatever. In combination, this might be the next best thing. [/QUOTE] I’m pretty sure most of those measures could be overcome by someone determined enough - the question really boils down to the old DRM thing of ‘How do I give someone something, without actually giving it to them?’ Assuming the document is a combination of text and graphics and it’s the presentation and layout, rather than the actual information in the text, that’s the valuable commodity, then about the best way to do it would be to export it as some kind of flattened bitmap, then resize it so that it’s legible as a draft, but not presentable as a finished piece (additionally to this, it might be necessary to render a small portion of it in full quality to give an idea of the quality of the real thing). Or print hard copy with a conspicuous watermark and visit the client in person and wave it under his nose, or post it snail mail. ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2007, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-prevent-someone-from-downloading-a-word-file/424111/7 "2007-10-26T15:49:33Z")
All of this is what I was afraid of. The project is text-only, so there are no graphics. I’ll have to figure out some other way. Robin ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2007, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-prevent-someone-from-downloading-a-word-file/424111/8 "2007-10-26T15:52:27Z")
So it’s the information content of the text that’s the valuable bit? ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2007, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-prevent-someone-from-downloading-a-word-file/424111/9 "2007-10-26T15:53:01Z")
[QUOTE=Mangetout] So it’s the information content of the text that’s the valuable bit? [/QUOTE] Yup. Robin ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2007, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-prevent-someone-from-downloading-a-word-file/424111/10 "2007-10-26T15:56:38Z")
If you could meet the client in person, print out the document and show it to them but don’t allow them to copy it. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2007, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-prevent-someone-from-downloading-a-word-file/424111/11 "2007-10-26T16:38:25Z")
FTR, getting past the right-click block is trivially easy and you don’t even have to disable all of javascript. My Firefox bypasses it as a built-in setting. I agree with some of the other posters w.r.t. watermarking. I would make the watermark large and unmistakable, and I would also include some legalese in the header/footer of the document stating the exact terms of use, and stating that unauthorized downloading, copying, redistribution, etc. will be prosecuted in civil court. Then PDF’ing the whole thing with maximum security (disallow printing, etc.) ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2007, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-prevent-someone-from-downloading-a-word-file/424111/12 "2007-10-26T16:49:12Z")
[QUOTE=An Gadaí] If you could meet the client in person, print out the document and show it to them but don’t allow them to copy it. [/QUOTE] I can’t do that. The client is in Atlanta and I’m in Pennsylvania. The client is also not answering his e-mail. **Una** , I like your suggestions and will implement them forthwith. Robin ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2007, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-prevent-someone-from-downloading-a-word-file/424111/13 "2007-10-26T23:27:17Z")
If you’ve got a fully licensed copy of Acrobat, check out some of its DRM features. There are a couple of features in there fancier than what Word offerred last time I looked. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2007, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-prevent-someone-from-downloading-a-word-file/424111/14 "2007-10-26T23:45:35Z")
[QUOTE=MsRobyn] I can’t do that. The client is in Atlanta and I’m in Pennsylvania. [/QUOTE] They have small-claims court in Atlanta. ([http://magistrate.cobbcountyga.gov/smallclaims.htm](http://magistrate.cobbcountyga.gov/smallclaims.htm)) That would be the appropriate venue for an unpaid bill for services. I think you may be able to file a case by mail. But you will have to physically appear in the court when the case is tried. (Though often, just filing the case will inspire them to pay up.) ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2007, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-prevent-someone-from-downloading-a-word-file/424111/15 "2007-10-27T00:35:34Z")
[QUOTE=Mr. Slant] If you’ve got a fully licensed copy of Acrobat, check out some of its DRM features. [/QUOTE] Which operate completely on the Honor System, if I recall correctly. Viewing it in a non-Acrobat program disables them like they aren’t even there. ---
**Author:** ![ChrisBooth12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@ChrisBooth12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChrisBooth12)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2007, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-prevent-someone-from-downloading-a-word-file/424111/16 "2007-10-27T00:40:31Z")
Nothing you can really do. I mean nothing is preventing him from retyping it into another word file. If he can see it he can copy it ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2007, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-prevent-someone-from-downloading-a-word-file/424111/17 "2007-10-27T04:00:40Z")
What I fail to understand is why you want to “put it on the internet” at all if you haven’t been paid. If money’s involved at all, then I assume you would never have done the work without an expectation of payment. So why deliver the goods, while somehow trying to not really deliver the goods?