If you have ever discovered yourself no longer able to edit an Excel sheet or workbook because it’s included through using manner of a password you’ve forgotten, you are no longer by yourself. Excel’s password protection characteristic is a handy device for shielding your facts, but it can be a nuisance in case you cannot remember the password. Fortunately, there are techniques to unprotect an Excel sheet or workbook, with and without the password. This manual will walk you up the stairs to regain admission to your covered Excel files.
If You Know the Password
If you recollect the password, unprotecting your Excel sheet or workbook is easy. Here’s the way to do it:
- Open your Excel record with the resource of double-clicking on the Excel document you need to unprotect.
- Look for the ‘Review’ tab inside the higher menu and click on it.
- To unprotect Sheet: Click on ‘Unprotect Sheet’. A verbal exchange discipline will seem to request the password. Enter the password and click on ‘OK’.
To unprotect a workbook: Click on ‘Unprotect Workbook’. Similarly, enter the password at the same time as brought on and click ‘OK’.
That’s it! Your Excel sheet or workbook needs to now be editable.
Unprotecting Your Excel Sheet
Create a Backup Copy
First, duplicate your Excel record.
- Open the Windows File Explorer.
- Right-click on the report, and pick out “Copy”.
- Paste it someplace steady.
- This prevents facts loss if a few difficulty goes wrong.
Change the File Extension
Rename the copied document from “.Xlsx” to “.Zip.” Here’s how:
- Right-click on the copied file.
- Select “Rename” from the context menu.
- Change the report extension from “.Xlsx” to “.Zip“.
- Press “Enter.”
- If you study a caution approximately changing the record kind, click on “Yes” to keep.
If you don’t see the document extension:
- Open File Explorer.
- Click on the “View” tab on the pinnacle.
- Hover over “Show” inside the drop-down menu.
- Click on “File call extensions.”
- Ensure there’s a take a look at the mark next to “File name extensions” to expose the record extensions.
Open the ZIP File
- Open the ZIP report using a program like WinRAR or 7-Zip.
- If you don’t have one, you can download 7-Zip without a doubt.
Find the Worksheets Folder
- Inside the ZIP report, double-click on on on the “xl” folder.
- Next, double-click on on on the “worksheets” folder.
- You will see XML files for each worksheet in your Excel document.
Identify the Protected Sheet
If which sheet has the safety you need to take away, you could skip this step.
Otherwise, observe the ones commands to discover the covered sheet:
- Double-click on the XML report to open it.
- If this does not open the record, properly click on the XML report and pick out “Open with.”
- Choose “Notepad” or every different textual content editor. (If “Notepad” isn’t listed, you can want to click on “Choose every different app” and pick it from there.)
- Once the report is open, search for the word “protect” through the use of the shortcut Ctrl + F.
The document that includes this word is the satisfactory you want to edit.
Remove the Protection Tag
Once you have identified the ideal XML document (in our instance, it’s far “sheet1”), take a look at those steps to unprotect the Excel sheet.
- Drag the XML document on your laptop. You can use the shortcut Win + Home to limit all one-of-a-kind open home domestic windows.
- Right-click on the XML record and pick out “Open with.”
- Choose “Notepad” or every different text editor. (If “Notepad” isn’t indexed, you could need to click on “Choose every other app” and select it from there.)
- Use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + F to discover the road that publicizes “sheetProtection”.
- Select the whole line: from the hole bracket (“<“) until the very last bracket (“>“).
- Delete the selected line.
- Save the report using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + S.
Replace the Old XML File
Delete the precise XML file from the ZIP archive.
Then, drag the modified XML record lower back into the ZIP archive.
Change the File Extension Back
- Close the Zip-file
- Open File Explorer and rename the file from “.Zip” once more to “.Xlsx“.
- Confirm the trade while delivered approximately.
Open Your Excel File
Open the Excel file. Your formerly covered sheet must now be unprotected, allowing you to edit it.
Important Tips to Unprotect Excel
Always create a backup in advance before you begin.
Follow each step carefully to keep away from corrupting your report.
After unprotecting the sheet, set a new password you could keep in mind.
FAQ
How do I defend workbooks in Excel?
To password-guard Excel workbooks, open the workbook and choose File > Info > Protect Password > Protect Workbook > Encrypt with Password.
How do I shield cells in Excel?
To lock cells in Excel to shield records, highlight the cells, go to the Home tab, and select Format > Lock Cell.