How secure are Microsoft Office password protected documents ?

[jetman]

Microsoft Word and Powerpoint allow files to be password protected.

Does anyone know how secure this protection is ?

I was thinking of uploading some Word documents to the cloud and thought password protection could be a way of securing some documents.

 

[Cohen]

I wouldn't count on it being secure. You're better off using something that's been proven to be secure such as VeraCrypt or Cryptomator, the easier of the two being Cryptomator.

 

[roger_m]

The protection is not secure at all. There are number of programs which will recover passwords from protected office documents. Just do a Google search for office password recovery, for some examples.

This is handy if you ever forget your passwords, but not so good for restricting access for others.

 

[mlnevese]

There are many Office password removers as well... If you need a document secured don't bother with setting a password in Office. Encrypt it.

 

[TairikuOkami]

Microsoft Office password protection - Wikipedia

Password protection encrypts documents, but its strength depends on the version or settings used.

Strength Test to test entropy, in order to take advantage of 128-bit encryption. Minimum length of 12 characters is recommended.