Forum Discussion
Open Files from SharePoint in "Protected" mode by default
Many users have complained about "auto save" as people open a file and start working on it immediately, not realising their changes are being saved.
I know that you can use protection in Office, if the author sets it.
- This is a good option forcing people to "think" before editing
My Question
- Is it possible to set this as the default either
- for all documents in a specific library and/or
- for specific users
1 Reply
SharePoint and Office Online do not provide a built‑in way to force all documents in a library (or for specific users) to open in read‑only mode by default while still allowing editing when needed.
Readers cannot edit items, so documents will always open in read‑only mode for them by default. For everyone else (editors, owners, and contributors) who has edit rights, the document will always open in edit mode. Therefore, the only option is to apply this setting individually at the document level.I believe you want the document to always open in read‑only mode, regardless of the user’s permissions. I’ve already provided an answer to this question; please refer to that response.
Sharepoint - Prevent a new version each time a document is read | Microsoft Community Hub
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