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The tutorial shows how to protect Excel sheet with or without passwords. It also explains how to unlock
9 Excel spreadsheet without password if you forgot or misplaced it.
When sharing your worksheets with other people or sending your Excel files outside of your
organization, you may want to prevent other users from changing cells that shouldn't be
changed, and also from moving or deleting important data in your worksheet or workbook.
Luckily, Excel provides a quick and easy way to lock a sheet or password protect an entire
workbook to prevent accidental or deliberate changes in their contents.
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How to unlock Excel sheet with password
In older versions (below Microsoft Excel 2010), it doesn't even matter how long and complex
your password is. Anyone who has at least some basic knowledge of VBA can crack it in
minutes (here's an example of the VBA code that easily cracks passwords in Excel 2010 and
lower versions).
The recent versions of Excel 2013 and 2016 use more sophisticated methods of sheet
protection, but they are also vulnerable and can be unlocked without knowing a password. In
other words, if someone really wants to get access to a protected sheet, they will.
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So, does this mean that Excel worksheet protection is absolutely pointless? Not at all! It makes
sense to lock Excel sheets to avoid accidental changes in the sheet contents. A common
example is Locking formula cells to prevent inadvertent erasure or modification of formulas.
The bottom line is - lock an Excel spreadsheet to prevent other users from accidentally
tampering with your data, but never store sensitive information in your Excel sheets.
If you strive to ensure the maximum security protection for your Excel files, be sure to do all
of the following:
1. Use the modern versions of Excel 2010, Excel 2013, and 2016 with enhanced data encryption
mechanisms.
2. Protect your sheets with strong passwords that include different types of alpha numeric
characters and special symbols. At that, try to make passwords as random as possible, for
example by using our password generating tool.
3. Protect the workbook structure to prevent other people from adding, moving, renaming,
deleting or unhiding your sheets.
4. For workbook-level security, encrypt the workbook with different passwords from opening
and modifying.
5. If possible, store your Excel files with sensitive information in a secure location, e.g. on an
encrypted hard drive.
Or, click the Protect Sheet button on the Review tab, in the Changes group.
To password protect your Excel sheet, type a password in the corresponding field. Be
sure to remember the password or store it in a safe location because you will need it later
to unprotect the sheet.
By default, the following 2 options are selected: Select locked cells and Select unlocked cells.
If you leave only these two options selected, the users of your sheet, including yourself,
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will be able only to select cells (both locked and unlocked).
To allow some other actions such as sorting, filtering, formatting cells, deleting or
inserting rows and columns, check the corresponding boxes.
If you don't check any action, users will only be able to view the contents of your Excel
sheet.
3. The Confirm Password dialog box will pop-up prompting you to retype the password so that
an accidental misprint won't lock your Excel sheet forever. Retype the password and click
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OK. Done!
Right-click the sheet tab, and select Unprotect Sheet from the context menu.
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On the Review tab, in the Changes group, click Unprotect Sheet.
On the Home tab, in the Cells group, click Format, and select Unprotect Sheet from the drop-
down menu.
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If you are dealing with a password-protected worksheet, Excel will ask you to enter the
password. Type the password and click OK.
If the worksheet was not protected with password, clicking the Unprotect Sheet button is all it
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takes to unlock the sheet.
Unlock Excel spreadsheet with VBA code (for Excel 2010 and lower)
If you are using Excel 2010 or older version, you can unlock a password-protected sheet with
the following macro.
2. Right-click the workbook name on the left pane (Project-VBAProject pane) and select Insert >
Module from the context menu.
Sub PasswordBreaker() ?
'Breaks worksheet password protection.
Exit Sub
End If
4. Press F5 or click the Run button on the toolbar and wait a couple of minutes. The macro
will report a cracked password, which is not the original one (always some combination of
A's and B's), but nevertheless it works.
If you are not very comfortable with VBA, you can find the detailed guidance in the following
tutorial: How to insert and run VBA code in Excel.
If you need to unprotect Excel sheet without password in the modern versions of Excel 2013
and Excel 2016, try one of free tools, for example Password Protection Remover add-in for
Excel.
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Excel.
2. With the cursor positioned in cell A1, press Shift + Ctrl + End to select all used cells in the
worksheet.
4. Create a new sheet in the current workbook or in a different workbook (to create a new
Excel file, simply press Ctrl + N ).
5. In the new blank worksheet, place the cursor in A1 and press Ctrl + V to paste the contents
of the password-protected sheet.
Notes:
This method works only if the Select locked cells and Select unlocked cells actions are allowed in
the protected spreadsheet.
If the password-protected worksheet has external links to other sheets or workbooks, you
may need to re-create those links manually.
You can use Paste Special to copy / paste the column widths so you won't need to adjust
them in the new sheet manually.
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How to protect a workbook in Excel
Apart from protecting the sheet contents, you may also want lock the entire workbook to
prevent users from adding, moving, renaming or deleting worksheets, and viewing hidden
sheets.
1. On the Review tab, in the Changes group, click the Protect Workbook button.
2. Under Protect workbook for, select one of the two options, or both:
Check the Structure box to protect the structure of a workbook. This will prevent the
following actions:
Inserting new sheets and chart sheets. However, users will be able to insert a chart in
an existing worksheet.
Note. The Windows option is not available (greyed out) in Excel 2013 and Excel 2016, as
shown in the screenshot above. It is because Microsoft introduced the Single
Document Interface in Excel 2013, where each workbook has its own top-level window
that can be minimized, restored, and closed.
4. Retype the password in the Confirm Password window and click OK. That's it!
Important note! Protecting the workbook structure should not be confused with workbook-
level password encryption that can prevent other users from opening or/and modifying
your workbook. If you are interested in this level of workbook protection, check out the next
sections of this tutorial.
1. In the workbook you want to encrypt, click File > Info, click the Protect Workbook button, and
select Encrypt with Password in the drop-down menu.
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2. The Encrypt Document window will appear, you enter a password in the Password box, and
click OK.
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.
By default, Microsoft Excel uses AES 128-bit advanced encryption, and you can supply a
password up to 255 characters.
3. Retype the password in the Reenter password box, and click OK.
To remove the workbook encryption, repeat the above steps, delete the password from the
Password box, click OK, and then save your workbook.
Tip. In addition to password-protection, you can secure your Excel files further by using the
BitLocker Drive Encryption, which is available in the Ultimate and Enterprise editions of
Windows Vista and Windows.
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Password protect Excel workbook from modifying
If you don't mind other users opening your Excel file but you want to prevent them from
making any changes to your workbook, perform the following steps.
1. In your Excel workbook, click the Save As button, and then click the Tools button at the
bottom of the window.
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3. In the General Options dialog window, type a password in the Password to modify box.
Additionally, you can select the Read-only option, which is recommended.
Tip. If you want to protect your Excel file both from modifying and opening, type the
passwords in the Password to open and Password to modify boxes. It can be the same
password of two different ones.
4. Retype the password in the Confirm Password dialog, and click OK. If you've entered 2
passwords in the previous step, you will be asked to confirm both.
To remove the password protection, repeat the above steps, and delete the password(s) from
the Password to open and Password to modify boxes. Then click the Save button to save your
workbook.
This is how you can protect an Excel sheet and lock the entire workbook from changing or
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opening. However, sometimes you may not want to go that far and rather lock only certain cells
in your sheet. And this is exactly what we are going to discuss in the next article. I thank you
for reading and hope to see you on our blog next week.
how to unprotected the work book without any password, if password is forget
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Reply
Reply
Hi!
If yo are using Excel 2010 or earlier, you can unprotected the workbook without
password by using this script.
For Excel 2013 or 2016, you can use one of free password protection removers, for
example this one:
http://www.spreadsheet1.com/password-protection-remover-free-office-excel-add-
in.html
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3 A CHUMAN KUMAR PATRO says:
April 27, 2016 at 4:19 am
Reply
Reply
5 Rajesh says:
May 18, 2016 at 4:40 pm
hi
one help please
i have one excel sheet i want give that to one of my friend but i want set limit the for
copying sheet
such as if i set limit for one time copy then after pasting it no more copy can be made or it
should ask for password please help as early as possible or is there any other way to solve
my problem
Reply
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6 Anonymous says:
May 19, 2016 at 9:37 am
Reply
When I follow your instructions, which are very good, when i click on protect workbook, the
drop down window opens but nothing is clickable? Any thoughts as to why these options
won't work for me? Also, on the tools drop down, the only line that can be completed is the
second line, the first line won't allow me to put in a password, after I go to "save as" and
select the file.
John
Reply
8 wami says:
June 7, 2016 at 10:05 pm
Reply
9 Nath says:
June 29, 2016 at 11:28 pm
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can you save the password as text in the VBA code so if you forget you can easily find
without running your scipt above?
Reply
Amit says:
August 4, 2016 at 6:45 pm
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10 Azazel says:
July 3, 2016 at 8:14 am
Reply
Reply
12 Rachel says:
July 11, 2016 at 8:59 am
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I have not forgotten my password, but all unprotect sheet access is not highlighted
therefore can not click on to enter my password.
I have also tried entering your VBA code, but when right click a box appears stating
"Project is unviewable"
Please help
Reply
Thanks!!!!!
Reply
Thamks.
I have Solve my problem to guide me.
Reply
15 wayne says:
August 5, 2016 at 1:33 pm
Hi How to protect certain rows/columns only in excel (where my formula will not be
editable).
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Thanks
Reply
hi,
thanks
Reply
17 pratik says:
August 17, 2016 at 11:59 am
Reply
18 jacksonlimboz says:
August 23, 2016 at 12:27 pm
Excel file password breaker tool is available to remove lost password from Excel file. This
application enables to open locked Word and Access file password also without any
obstruction.
Reply
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19 Evan says:
August 23, 2016 at 8:28 pm
Looking for how to set a workbook to unProtected mode due to untrusted from a network
site.
Reply
20 Angel says:
September 9, 2016 at 3:34 am
Amazing! Thank you! Though I dont have a password to a worksheet, I unlocked the
worksheet.
Reply
21 godfrey says:
September 13, 2016 at 11:52 am
Reply
22 Ivan says:
September 14, 2016 at 9:04 am
Reply
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23 gandhi marule says:
September 19, 2016 at 10:12 am
hello,
i have hyperlinks to different sheets in my excel workbook, but i want to password protect
them i.e. people cannot click and go to that particular sheet...how do i do it? or
alternatively a way of hiding sheet only if you have a password can you open the
sheet...how do i do it ?
Reply
24 SPORK says:
September 20, 2016 at 2:25 pm
Reply
25 dan says:
September 21, 2016 at 3:43 pm
Dear sir,
I have protected shared Excel doc. I do not know the password, how can I remove the
protection?.
Thanks
Reply
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26 Mr D says:
September 29, 2016 at 8:54 am
Reply
27 Boke says:
October 7, 2016 at 5:06 am
Hi,
i have set Excel file(.xlsm) Password protection from modifying (!!) and allowed to open the
file as read-only. How i can use VBA macros to determine that passord protection from
modifying is set or not before the file saving.
And how i can write in VBA macros to unprotect and protect again exactly for modifying
only ?
Reply
Reply
29 Nitin says:
October 15, 2016 at 3:21 pm
Thankx so much. i forget my password if you don't help me my data will be loss
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thankx again sir
Reply
30 NIRANJAN says:
October 18, 2016 at 5:24 pm
Reply
31 Philip says:
October 22, 2016 at 11:46 am
I don't think the VBA script works to unlock a password protected workbook in Windows 10
with Excel 2010. Pressing Alt-F11 doesn't access a list of workbook files.
Reply
32 RJ says:
October 25, 2016 at 8:30 pm
I have tried this several times with great luck. I now have an old workbook from last year.
The code works on some sheets but not all of them.
Reply
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33 dagmid says:
October 28, 2016 at 8:02 am
Hi there,
thank you for your advice. if VBAProject has protected how can i remove password.
Thank you.
Reply
34 Abik says:
November 5, 2016 at 11:39 am
Reply
35 G says:
November 11, 2016 at 4:26 pm
If the file is on a server that has a rights management system you can also select people
from the address book to have read only access
Reply
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36 Yganesh Thaker says:
November 16, 2016 at 6:01 am
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37 reza says:
November 20, 2016 at 3:35 pm
like a lot
Reply
38 Umesh says:
November 21, 2016 at 8:11 am
Its Working..............
Reply
39 Rijo says:
November 26, 2016 at 10:39 am
Dear friend,
while iam trying RUN...getting the error message of
Compile error:
Invalid outside procedure
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pls help
Reply
40 Kelly says:
December 1, 2016 at 12:26 pm
pls Help!
Reply
41 Vasanth KS says:
December 1, 2016 at 12:52 pm
Hi,
Reply
42 Bobby says:
December 7, 2016 at 10:14 am
Reply
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43 James says:
December 12, 2016 at 3:08 pm
Very good articles. It works very well. Thank you very much.
Reply
44 Nalini says:
December 16, 2016 at 3:12 pm
Reply
45 Andy says:
December 27, 2016 at 8:02 pm
OMG, you saved me hours and hours of work. This VBI script worked like a charm ....thanks
so much.
Reply
I've been working on a workbook with several tabs with worksheets. I was trying to protect
columns and cells on on the various worksheets. The protection did not seem to be
working on a couple of the worksheets and I was experimenting trying to get it to work.
Now I have several functions(Protect & unprotect worksheet, protect & unprotect
workbook, allow users to edit ranges) highlighted in red and not functioning a all. How do I
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correct this?
Reply
47 Ade says:
January 2, 2017 at 10:27 pm
I have a protected worksheet and for got the password. The VB script is not responding
when i run the script on my excel 2010. it hangs and i have to go into window task
manager to end the run. Help
Reply
48 Sharma says:
January 3, 2017 at 5:15 am
How to permanently protect an excel sheet so that others cant look at the VBA functions? Is
there a way? I would like the hours of work put into my sheet to be protect from others
forever!
Seems the password protection can be easily broken. Please let me know.
Help!!
Reply
Reply
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50 Derek K says:
January 9, 2017 at 12:37 am
Reply
Reply
52 Anne says:
January 11, 2017 at 11:54 am
HI,
I am working on a template that is workbook protected. I can't recall the password and i
need to change the name of a sheet. Please assist. Excel 2016
Thanks.
Reply
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