Fix Word IRM Decryption Returning ‘Permission to Use This Document’

When you open an Information Rights Management protected document in Word, you may see a dialog box stating “Permission to Use This Document” even though you have already been granted access. This error prevents you from viewing or editing the file, even if your account was previously authorized. The issue typically occurs because Word cannot verify your credentials or because the rights management service is unreachable. This article explains why this happens and provides step-by-step methods to fix the decryption failure so you can open the document.

Why Word Displays “Permission to Use This Document” Despite Having Access

Word uses Information Rights Management to control access to sensitive documents. When you open an IRM-protected file, Word contacts the Microsoft Rights Management Service (RMS) to verify your identity and retrieve a use license. This license is cached locally so you can open the document offline. The “Permission to Use This Document” dialog appears when Word cannot authenticate your credentials with the RMS server. Common causes include:

• Expired or corrupted cached use license on your local machine.
• Network connectivity issues that prevent Word from reaching the RMS server.
• Conflicting Office add-ins that intercept or block the authentication request.
• Incorrect or outdated account credentials stored in Windows Credential Manager.

The problem is not that you lack permission. Instead, Word cannot confirm your permission because the authentication chain is broken. Fixing this requires clearing the stale cache and re-establishing a fresh connection to the rights management service.

Steps to Fix the IRM Permission Error in Word

Follow these methods in order. Test the document after each method before moving to the next.

Method 1: Sign Out and Sign Back Into Your Office Account

1. Open Word and go to File > Account
   In the left-hand menu, select Account. Under User Information, you will see your current signed-in account.
2. Click Sign Out
   Word will ask you to confirm. Choose Sign Out. This clears the current authentication token from the session.
3. Restart Word
   Close Word completely and reopen it. Navigate to File > Account again and click Sign In. Enter your credentials for the account that has permission to the document.
4. Open the IRM document again
   Word will contact the RMS server to retrieve a fresh use license. The permission dialog should no longer appear.

Method 2: Clear IRM Credentials from Windows Credential Manager

1. Open Windows Credential Manager
   Press Ctrl + R, type control, and press Enter. In Control Panel, set View by to Large icons and click Credential Manager. Alternatively, search for Credential Manager in the Windows search bar.
2. Select Windows Credentials
   Click the Windows Credentials tab. This displays all stored credentials for Windows services and applications.
3. Locate IRM-related credentials
   Look for entries that contain “MicrosoftOffice” or “Rights Management” in the name. Common names include MicrosoftOffice15_Data:ADAL: or MicrosoftOffice16_Data:ADAL:.
4. Expand and remove each IRM entry
   Click the arrow to expand the entry, then click Remove. Confirm the deletion. Repeat for all entries that relate to Office or RMS.
5. Restart Word and open the document
   Word will now be forced to request a new authentication token from the RMS server, bypassing the stale cached permission.

Method 3: Run Word in Safe Mode

1. Close Word completely
   Ensure no Word process is running. Check Task Manager if necessary.
2. Start Word in Safe Mode
   Press the Windows key, type winword /safe, and press Enter. Word opens with add-ins disabled.
3. Open the IRM document in Safe Mode
   Go to File > Open and select the protected document. If the permission dialog does not appear, an add-in is causing the issue.
4. Disable problematic add-ins
   Go to File > Options > Add-ins. At the bottom, set Manage to COM Add-ins and click Go. Uncheck all add-ins, click OK, and restart Word normally. Re-enable add-ins one by one to identify the culprit.

Method 4: Check Network Connectivity and Proxy Settings

1. Verify internet access
   Open a browser and navigate to a public website like bing.com. If you cannot connect, fix your network first.
2. Check if a proxy or firewall blocks RMS endpoints
   Word needs to reach https://api.aadrm.com and https://rms.aadrm.com (and all subdomains). If your organization uses a proxy, ensure these URLs are allowed.
3. Reset Windows proxy settings
   Go to Settings > Network & Internet > Proxy. Turn off Use a proxy server if you do not use one. If you are in a corporate network, contact your IT administrator.

If Word Still Shows the Permission Error After the Main Fix

Some users encounter additional failure patterns that require separate fixes.

Word Prompts for Permission Every Time You Open the Same Document

This indicates that the use license is not being cached. The cause is often a corrupted Office profile. Repair Office via Settings > Apps > Microsoft 365 > Modify > Quick Repair. If that does not work, run a full Online Repair which reinstalls Office components.

Permission Dialog Appears but Then Closes Without Opening the Document

The authentication succeeded but the decryption engine failed. This is usually due to a missing or outdated Microsoft Rights Management Services client. Download and install the latest RMS client from the Microsoft Download Center. Restart Word after installation.

Error Code 0x8004930C When Attempting to Open the Document

This error means the RMS server rejected the request because the document’s protection template requires a newer version of the RMS client. Update your Office installation to the latest version via File > Account > Update Options > Update Now.

Item	Before Fix	After Fix
Authentication method	Stale cached token fails verification	Fresh token retrieved from RMS server
Credential storage	Corrupted IRM entry in Credential Manager	Cleared and recreated on next sign-in
Add-in interference	COM add-in blocks RMS authentication	Add-in disabled or removed
Network connectivity	Proxy or firewall blocks RMS endpoints	Endpoints allowed or proxy bypassed

You can now open IRM-protected documents in Word without seeing the “Permission to Use This Document” error. Start by signing out of your account and clearing credentials from Credential Manager. If the problem persists, run Word in Safe Mode to isolate add-in conflicts. For recurring issues, keep your Office installation and RMS client updated to the latest versions. As an advanced tip, you can use the IRM File Viewer from Microsoft to inspect the document’s protection status without opening it in Word.