Can someone still edit the letterhead if they really want to?

Yes — a double-click into the header opens the layer, and that’s deliberate. The header lock stops accidents, which is what actually ruins letterheads. Someone determined to change the design is editing, not typing.

Should I use Word’s Restrict Editing feature instead?

Restrict Editing protects whole documents or marked regions and gets in the way of normal letter-writing. For letterhead, the header layer is usually the right tool: the body stays fully editable while the artwork stays out of reach.

Does the lock survive sending the file to a client?

Yes. Header-layer behavior is part of the .docx format itself, not a setting on your machine — the artwork is exactly as protected in the recipient’s copy of Word, on Windows or Mac.

Why does the locked artwork look faded on screen?

Word dims header content while the body is active to show which layer you’re editing. It’s a display effect — the letterhead prints at full strength.

How to Lock a Letterhead in Word So No One Can Move or Delete It

Last updated: August 5, 2026

Skip the reading — your letterhead in Word in about two minutes.Upload your letterhead

Every reused letterhead meets the same fate: someone nudges the logo, stretches the banner, or deletes the footer mid-letter. The fix isn’t asking people to be careful — it’s putting the artwork where careless clicks can’t reach.

How do you lock a letterhead in Word?

Put the artwork in the header layer. While anyone types in the document body, header artwork can’t be selected at all — no click, drag, resize, or delete. Word treats the body and the header as separate layers, and only one is active at a time; getting at the design takes a deliberate double-click into the header.

That’s exactly how every WordLetterhead file is built — and because the lock is standard .docx behavior rather than an add-on, it holds in your Word, your client’s Word, and the office copy of Word that hasn’t been updated in years.

What doesn’t lock a letterhead?

Anything that leaves the artwork in the body. A pasted image moves as text is added and dies by stray click. “Lock anchor” only pins which paragraph an image belongs to — it still drags freely. And a picture watermark repeats nicely but prints washed out by design. The full method comparison shows how each one fails.

How do I get my letterhead into that locked header?

Sizing a full-page header image by hand is fiddly — WordLetterhead builds the file that way from the start: your design as a locked 300 DPI header image, repeated on every page, margins matched to the artwork.

Upload the design — PDF, PNG, or JPG.
Drag the typing area over the space the design left open.
Download the .docx and hand it to anyone — the artwork stays put.

Designers: this is the client-proof handoff file. One upload per client project, $9, no account.

Common questions

Can someone still edit the letterhead if they really want to?: Yes — a double-click into the header opens the layer, and that’s deliberate. The header lock stops accidents, which is what actually ruins letterheads. Someone determined to change the design is editing, not typing.
Should I use Word’s Restrict Editing feature instead?: Restrict Editing protects whole documents or marked regions and gets in the way of normal letter-writing. For letterhead, the header layer is usually the right tool: the body stays fully editable while the artwork stays out of reach.
Does the lock survive sending the file to a client?: Yes. Header-layer behavior is part of the .docx format itself, not a setting on your machine — the artwork is exactly as protected in the recipient’s copy of Word, on Windows or Mac.
Why does the locked artwork look faded on screen?: Word dims header content while the body is active to show which layer you’re editing. It’s a display effect — the letterhead prints at full strength.