You receive a “The password is incorrect. Word cannot open the document” error message when you open a Word 2003 document

When you try to open a Microsoft Office Word 2003 document, you may receive one of the following error messages:

This behavior may occur if the password is incorrect.

Passwords prevent access to a protected item or document by unauthorized users. A password can contain any combination of letters, numerals, spaces, and symbols, and can be up to 15 characters long. As you type a password, Word 2003 displays an asterisk (*) for each character that you type. Passwords are case-sensitive.

You can open a password-protected document only if you supply the correct password. If you forget or lose the password, you cannot open your document.

Note Remember that passwords are case sensitive. If you used a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters when you set up your password, you must use the same combination when you use the password to access your document. Also, before you type your password, verify that CAPS LOCK is not turned on.

For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
For additional information about passwords, follow these steps:

1. On the Help menu, click Microsoft Word Help.
2. Type password in the Search text box of Assistance.
3. Click Search to view the topic.