Fix "You can't make this change because the selection is locked", or you can't select text while using Word.
First, try restarting the computer. Sometimes this is all that is needed.
Quit Word. Make sure you are in the Finder (AKA Desktop). Click the "Go" menu, and choose "Library". Note: If you don't see Library, hold down the option key while doing this. Find the folder called "Containers" and open it. Find the folder called "Microsoft Word" and delete it (drag to Trash). Restart Word
Or, in Terminal: Quit Word Erase: ~/Library/Containers/Microsoft Word Restart Word
If this doesn't fix the issue, do a restart, and this should resolve it.
I usually write a blog post about once a week. The latest post can be viewed here: Value Autonomy: We need to value autonomy. (posted 2025-07-08 at 21:16:13). I do podcasts too!. You can listen to my latest podcast, here: OJB's Podcast 2025-06-28 An Empathy Deficit: They end up reducing the total empathy in the world..