Short answer: Office itself cannot fully stop copying once someone has the file. You can make it harder – Restrict Editing in Word, Protect Sheet with cell selection switched off in Excel, a picture-only presentation in PowerPoint – or, with Microsoft 365 business licences, apply a sensitivity label that removes the copy permission. To really keep content from being copied, don't send the file: share it in a viewer that blocks download, copy and print and watermarks every page.
WordExcelPowerPointBeyond a password
Word
- Review → Restrict Editing → "No changes (Read only)" with a password stops edits. Readers can still select and copy text.
- Save as PDF and set permissions (no copying) – a permissions password many PDF tools ignore.
- Sensitivity labels / Information Rights Management (Microsoft Purview, business plans): a label with "View" rights only removes copy, print and forward in Office apps that support it – the recipient needs a Microsoft account the label recognises.
Excel
- Select the cells with formulas, Format Cells → Protection → Hidden (hides formulas in the formula bar).
- Review → Protect Sheet, untick Select locked cells and Select unlocked cells, set a password.
Now readers cannot select cells to copy them or see formulas. It is a speed bump: sheet protection is weak, can be removed with widely available tools, and does not stop a screenshot or retyping. Values can also be read by opening the file in other software.
PowerPoint
- File → Export → Change File Type → PowerPoint Picture Presentation saves every slide as an image, so text, charts and speaker notes can no longer be copied or edited (keep the original!).
- Mark as Final only shows a banner – one click turns it off.
- Sensitivity labels work as in Word.
When copying really must not happen
Everything above protects the file, and the recipient still owns a copy of it. If the content itself is what you are protecting – a pricing model, a training deck, a proposal – keep the file and share a view:
- upload the .docx, .xlsx or .pptx to HelpRange and send a link;
- switch off download, printing and copying – the reader sees the pages in the browser, never the file;
- add a watermark with the reader's e-mail on every page, so a screenshot names its source;
- see who read which page, and revoke access at any time. Excel files open as a real spreadsheet, not a picture.
See also: protect a PDF from copying · PDF DRM explained.
FAQ
Can I stop people copying text from a Word document?
Not inside Word itself: Restrict Editing stops changes, not copying. Only rights management (Microsoft Purview sensitivity labels) or sharing the document in a viewer with copying disabled stops it.
How do I stop people copying cells in Excel?
Hide the formulas (Format Cells → Protection → Hidden), then Review → Protect Sheet with "Select locked cells" and "Select unlocked cells" unticked. Sheet protection is easy to remove, so do not rely on it for confidential data.
How do I make a PowerPoint that cannot be edited or copied?
File → Export → Change File Type → PowerPoint Picture Presentation turns every slide into an image. For control after sending, share it as a view-only link with download blocked.
Does a screenshot get around copy protection?
Yes – no file format stops a screenshot or a photo of the screen. A watermark with the reader’s e-mail on every page makes such copies traceable.
More Office guides: password-protect Word, Excel or PowerPoint · protect Office files from copying · prevent forwarding · disable downloading from a website · best platforms for sharing Office files · free tool: share an Excel file online