Password protecting an excel workbook at the file level controls access in two ways. The following steps show how to protect critical data while allowing users to enter information in only the fields you want them to access. To prevent other users from viewing hidden worksheets, adding, moving, deleting, or. Using the protect feature is a pretty straightforward way to password protect excel files by creating readonly spreadsheets. If your excel file contains more than one protected sheet, run the macro for each sheet individually to unprotect it. Jul 28, 2016 in this microsoft excel 2016 tutorial video, you will learn to protect an excel workbook. Click file info protect workbook protect workbook structure. Windows 10 professional users have a builtin encryption utility called bitlocker, but if you want. To prevent others from accessing data in your excel files, protect your excel file with a password. You can help protect yourself from scammers by verifying that the contact is a microsoft agent or microsoft employee and that the phone number is an official microsoft global customer service number.
Microsoft excel protect a workbook nmsu knowledgebase. Click on the protect workbook dropdown option and choose encrypt with password. Excel 20 introduced the single document interface sdi, where each document has its own window with its own ribbon. If you want to open the file in office for mac, ask the windows based author to adjust the password length. To view this option, click file info protect workbook. If there is a password, enter it into the unprotect workbook dialog box and then click the ok button. If you set userinterfaceonly then your code can make modifications to the worksheet during the current excel session without needing to unprotect the sheet first. In this microsoft excel 2016 tutorial video, you will learn to protect an excel workbook. Workbook protection in excel instructions teachucomp, inc.
The windows option is available only in excel 2007, excel 2010, excel for. To protect the data from unauthorized reading or editing by others, we set protection password on the excel workbook, workbook structure or worksheet. Then, close excel and reopen the workbook it will be opened in compatibility mode. When workbook has sensitive data to deal with confidential information or data we need to protect workbook in excel vba. To use the following code example, run it in the thisworkbook class, not in a sheet class. Overall, using excel security with simple password protection is not enough to secure it. To protect a workbook using a password, open excel workbook and add your data. You need to follow these steps to protect the excel workbook. In the protect sheet dialog window, do the following. Protect workbook in excel how to password protect an. How to protect excel workbook from opening and editing.
How to protect a workbook in microsoft excel 2016 tutorial. If you want to open the file in office for mac, ask the windowsbased author to adjust the password length. Is there advantages and disadvantages in using one sheet vs workbook over the other. Just type the the right password to unprotect workbook password. Mar 17, 2020 if you want to see whether an excel file has password protection or not, check out the info tab for the document and look at the protect workbook section. How to password protect an excel file digital trends. Excel protect workbook feature not working microsoft. With this, you can prevent users from changing any cell, worksheet, or workbook elements by password protecting. I am, however, no wiser in regards to what exactly a window in this context is referring to. If you protect the workbook and windows then you wont be able to open a new window in this workbook view ribbonnew wndow or modify the existing ones size properties.
If you want to see whether an excel file has password protection or not, check out the info tab for the document and look at the protect workbook section. Select the protect workbook option from the right side. It is also advised to remember the password as once. Protecting a workbook is different from protecting the excel file with a password to prevent readingwriting or locking the spreadsheet elements to prevent editing. When the filesave window appears, type in your file name, then select the tools drop down menu. Keep in mind that protecting worksheet data is different than protecting a workbook with a password. In this article, ill show you more than just how to.
Now we can see below option which asks for a password to be entered to protect. Protect, what does the windows argument do according to the microsoft documentation, you can set it to. How to protectunprotect workbook structure and windows. Follow these steps to protect an excel 2010 workbook. Changing the size and position of the windows for the workbook when the workbook is open. The protect workbook option in the info menu also indicates that the workbook s structure is protected. Sheet and workbook element protection should not be confused with workbook level password security. On the right side, select the protect workbook box, the one with. In the opened excel workbook, click on the file and select the info. Call the protect method of the workbook and include a password.
On the right side, select the protect workbook box, the one with a lock and key icon. The process to protect the workbook on mac is exactly the same as on windows. To unprotect excel sheet without password in the modern versions of excel 2019, excel 2016 and excel 20, you can save the document as excel 972003 workbook. When protecting workbooks the windows option is disabled within excel 20 and above. How to password protect excel files spreadsheetweb. You can protect the workbook for structure or windows. Fortunately, excel makes it possible to prevent people from changing things. To learn the difference between protecting your excel file, workbook, or a worksheet, see protection and security in excel.
I am working on a spreadsheet inherited from another person whos unavailable. So another option protect workbook is usually used when we want to protect excel sheet, which will not allow others to insert, delete, rename, move, copy, hide or. Excel opens the protect structure and windows dialog box, where the structure check box is selected by default. Select the windows option if you want to prevent users from moving, resizing, or closing the workbook window, or hideunhide windows. The windows option prevents the user from creating additional windows for the workbook. How to unprotect excel workbook and worksheet with or. Protect workbook method vba explained with examples. How to unprotect excel workbook and worksheet with or without. How to protect cells, sheets, and workbooks in excel business. Remove password from excel file, workbook, sheet solved. On following protect structure and windows dialog, there are two. Users can duplicate or edit your workbook, but only use it on a licensed computer.
To password protect your excel sheet, type a password in the corresponding field. Protect controls and linked cells on a worksheet excel. You should protect your complete workbook then only authorized users can view or modify the data. Protect a workbook that is part of a documentlevel customization to protect a workbook. How to protect workbooks, worksheets, and cells from editing in. Then click the protect workbook button in the protect button group to toggle workbook protection off.
Unprotect excel workbook top methods with step by step guide. With the structure check box selected, excel wont let anyone mess around with the sheets in the workbook by deleting them or rearranging them. Vba code to protect and unprotect workbooks excel off the grid. Jan 15, 2018 ms excel protect workbook watch more videos at.
If you want to unprotect the excel workbook or worksheet, follow this article. Protection in excel is passwordbased and happens at three different. How to protect worksheets and unprotect excel sheet without. The password for the downloadable excel file is easy. The protect workbook option in the info menu also indicates that the workbooks structure is protected. How to password protect the excel workbook structure and windows. From that menu, select general options this will enable you to password protect the entire workbook and prevent anyone else from opening it and viewing its contents.
You can also protect individual worksheets from editing. My workbook is not shared or protected in any other way. Encrypted xlsm turn an excel workbook into an application exe on windows or app on mac. Workbook protection forbids other users to add, move, rename or delete worksheets and defends against viewing hidden worksheets or hiding worksheets.
An excel workbook refers to a collection of more than one spreadsheets, put together in a single file. However, when we forget the protected password, we cant read or edit the data on the excel file too. While working in excel, navigate to the file tab choose the info tab. It opens the protect structure and windows dialog box. Protecting a workbook is different then protecting a worksheet and you will learn that how you can protect. Sep 21, 2017 in excel 2010 and prior excel had a multiple document interface mdi, which means multiple workbooks opened within the same excel window. Workbook changes are saved in an encrypted file only accessible from the exe. In the encrypt document window that opens, type your password and. This post shows you how to protect the workbook and windows structure in microsoft excel, so the sheet and workbook properties cannot be. Almost all excel features are available to the user once your workbook is opened. Protect password, structure, windows expression a variable that represents a workbook object. How to protect workbook structure and windows in excel isumsoft. Excel protect workbook feature not working as i have done in the past, i am trying to protect sensitive information via info protect workbook encrypt with password.
Protecting it for windows prevents anyone from changing the size and position of the windows when the workbook is opened. In the resulting dialog, enter a password, as shown in figure d, and click ok. Protecting it for structure prevents anyone from viewing worksheets. After entering the password twice, it gives me the message a password is required to open this workbook. To protect the workbook, perform the following steps. To reinstate it, you must go back to the file menu and protect the workbook again. When you click on protect workbook, you will see the various types of options to protect an excel workbook as i described earlier.
Mar 29, 2019 password protecting an excel workbook at the file level controls access in two ways. How to protect and unprotect excel sheet with or without password. In the below protect structure and windows window enter the password as per our choice. When you protect a worksheet, excel locks all of the cells from editing. To prevent users from changing the protections on the cells and controls that you have. How to protect workbooks, worksheets, and cells from. The windows option is available only in excel 2007, excel 2010, excel for mac 2011, and excel 2016 for mac. Go to the file menu and select the info option from the leftside panel. Store the file itself in a secure location on your computer like an encrypted hard drive. 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. Feb 25, 2019 to protect a workbook using a password, open excel workbook and add your data.
Also, on the insert tab, everything except headerfooter is grayed out, meaning i cant add any special symbols, charts, tables, graphics, etc to any cell. How to password protect excel workbook, worksheet and cells. Review tab protect workbook enter password click ok reenter password click ok. Protecting your worksheet means that no one can edit, reformat, or delete the content. So another option protect workbook is usually used when we want to protect excel sheet, which will not allow others to insert, delete, rename, move, copy, hide or unhide worksheets. Add a document open password for an excel workbook so that all the users should type the correct password to open the workbook. How to protect and unprotect workbook structure and windows. I have been using sheet protection, but its a pain to unlock and relock.
How to protect unprotect workbook structure and windows. In the protect structure and windows dialog box enter a password in the password input box. The windows option is available only in excel 2007. Have questions or feedback about office vba or this documentation. Protect workbook in excel how to password protect an excel. Some further googling led me to this page, which claims that. Excel documents can help do all sorts of book balancing and calculations for. For more information, see hide or display rows and columns and hide or display worksheets or workbooks. Lets start off by protecting an entire excel file or workbook with a password to prevent others from opening it. The windows option is not available in excel 20 and later versions. How to password protect excel workbook, worksheet and. If this argument is omitted, the windows arent protected. It lets a user in, and it lets a user save changes.
How to password protect an excel workbook techrepublic. Protect your sheets using the protect workbook and protect sheet options. I checked excel help and couldnt find the answer i can never find any answers there lol. Element protection cannot protect a workbook from users who have malicious intent. Protecting a workbook is different from protecting the excel file with a password to prevent. Password protect excel file and excel sheetworkbook. How to protect workbooks, worksheets, and cells from editing. Excel protect workbook feature not working microsoft tech. It is advised to protect an excel workbook with a password so that any other user cannot unprotect it easily and change the structure of the workbook. How to protect cells, sheets, and workbooks in excel. Protecting workbook elements microsoft excel 2016 officetooltips. I tried creating a new workbook to see what happens.
Then in the protect structure and windows dialog, check structure option and type the password into the text box, then click ok. In excel version 2010 and below we can protect both structure and windows size option as resize is available in the previous versions of excel. True if you want to work at the worksheet level, i used something similar years ago when i needed to protectunprotect. Click on ok, in the next window we need to reenter the same password as we have entered. Please see office vba support and feedback for guidance about the ways you can receive support and provide feedback. Microsoft excel offers the option protect sheet to protect each sheet with a password, but unfortunately it doesnt prevent users from deleting the sheet. This paper describes how to protect an excel workbook with computer unique activation, apply various types of licenses, support human managed or online activation and automate the sales and distribution process for mac or windows products sold from your web site, mail order cd, resellers or affiliates. On the popup window, youll see a huge set of options. How to protect worksheets and unprotect excel sheet. Then, hide the column or row that contains the linked cell, or move the contents of the linked cell to a separate worksheet, and then hide that worksheet. Tech support scams are an industrywide issue where scammers trick you into paying for unnecessary technical support services. To prevent other users from removing workbook protection, in the password optional box, type a password, click ok, and then retype the password to confirm it. Sheet and workbook element protection should not be confused with workbooklevel password security. This topic covers filelevel protection only, and not workbook or worksheet protection.