unlocking word doc on Mac

I can reproduce your error by deliberately locking a Word DOCX document via the Finder Get Info panel, opening the Word document in MS Word, and attempting to change an arbitrary word in the document. The other telltale in that open Word document will be an unmistakable yellow banner just below the MS Word ribbon bar that reads "x⃝ Read Only To save a copy of this document, click Duplicate." The Word document icon in the Finder will have an identifiable lock symbol on it.

To resolve this lock condition, formally quit Word. Click once on the Word document's icon in the Finder and press option+cmd+i to open the Get Info panel. Click on the Lock item to uncheck it and close that panel. Now, resume opening your Word document and proceed to edit.

Tested: Word v16.95.1, macOS Sequoia v15.3.2.

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