Unprotect Excel Workbook

What Is Unprotect Workbook In Excel?

The Unprotected Workbook in Excel is a spreadsheet with no password protection. If the worksheet is password protected, we need to know the password to unlock the workbook and make it unprotected so everyone can edit it.

What Is Unprotect Workbook In Excel?

Protect Workbook prevents our crucial data from getting deleted, copied, or edited by unauthorized persons accidentally or intentionally.
Protect Excel Workbook is an essential feature; sharing the worksheets with other people or sending the Excel files outside of the organization, we want to prevent other users from changing cells that shouldn’t be changed and from moving or deleting important data in the worksheet or workbook.
To Protect the Worksheet, the Lock cells should be prevented from being selected. For this, we need to uncheck the “Select locked cells” checkbox in the “Protect Sheet” window, which is in the “Home Tab” in the “Format” option in the “Cells group.”

Excel Workbook Protection At File Level

The succeeding image depicts the data having items and the monthly sales. We want to perform the following Excel tasks to understand the Excel Workbook Protection mechanism at the File Level.

In the table,

Columns A, B, C, and D contains Items, JAN sales, FEB sales and MAR sales.

The steps to perform the given tasks are listed as follows:

To start with, press CTRL + A to select the whole sheet.
Next, go to the Review tab and click the Protect Workbook of the Protect group. Protect Workbook keeps safe from other users making structural changes like moving, deleting or adding sheets.
Then, the Protect Structure and Workbook window pops up.
Now, enter the password in the Password text box.
Then, select the Structure checkbox from the Protect workbook for list.
Next, select the OK button.
Then, the Confirm Password window opens.
Now, re-enter the Re-enter password to proceed text box. The message displays that it cannot be recovered if we lose or forget the password, so keep it safe.
Next, select OK button.

Excel Workbook Protection At Workbook Level

For example, the image shows the data having names and marks of the students of a class. Now, we want to perform the following Excel tasks to understand the Excel Workbook Protection mechanism at the Workbook Level.

In the table,

Columns A and B contains Names and Marks

Excel Workbook Protection at Workbook Level

The steps to perform the given tasks are listed as follows:

Step 1: First, press CTRL + A to select the whole sheet.

Step 2: Next, go to the File tab and then, select the Info option from the list.

Step 3: Now, select the Protect Workbook option under the Info section.

Excel Workbook Protection at Workbook Level - Step 3

Step 4: Next, click the down arrow button of the protect workbook.

Step 5: Then, select the Encrypt with Password option from the drop-down list.

Excel Workbook Protection at Workbook Level - Step 5

Step 6: Now, the window called the Encrypt Document pops up.

Step 7: Next, enter the password in the Password text box of the Encrypt the content of this file. The message displays that it cannot be recovered if we lose or forget the password, so keep it safe.

Step 8: Then, select the OK button.

Step 9: Now, the window called Confirm Password pops up.

Step 10: Next, re-enter the password in the Password text box of the Encrypt the content of this file.

Step 11: Then, select the OK button.

When we open the encrypted file, it displays the Unprotect Workbook window, asking us to enter the password. Enter the registered password and select the OK button to unprotect the workbook.

Unprotect Excel Workbook

The succeeding image depicts two values, fruits and sales, calculated maximum sales. We want to perform the following Excel tasks to understand the Excel Workbook Unprotection mechanism.

In the table,

Columns A and B shows fruits and sales, respectively

The steps to perform the given tasks are listed as follows:

Step 1: To begin with, open the Excel Protected Workbook.

Step 2: Next, the message appears to enter the password to open the protected file, as shown in the below image.

Step 3: Now, enter the password in the Password text box, and then, select the OK button.

Step 4: Now, the Workbook Opens.

Step 5: Then, go to the File tab and then, select the Info option from the list.

Step 6: Next, click the down arrow button of the Protect Workbook.

Step 7: Then, select the Encrypt with Password option from the drop-down list.

Step 8: Now, the window called the Encrypt Document pops up.

Step 9: Next, select the password in the Password text box of the Encrypt the content of this file. The message displays that if we lose or forget the password, it cannot be recovered, so keep it safe.

Step 10: Then, delete the selected password.

Step 11: Now, select the OK button.

The Excel Workbook will be unprotected now.

Important Things To Note

We should know the Password to open the workbook if the worksheet is protected with a password.
If the worksheet is not protected with a password, it is an unprotected worksheet; the password is not required to open it. We can delete the password and make the workbook unprotected.
The “Protect Workbook” and “Protect Worksheet” are different.
Unprotect Workbook with password; Select the Review tab, select the Unprotect Sheet, and enter the password.
Unprotect Workbook without password; Open Visual Basic and enter code by selecting the Developer tab and then View code.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. How do I unprotect an Excel Workbook without a password?

A password created for the Excel spreadsheets can prevent unauthorized individuals from accessing the work.
We can unprotect an Excel Workbook without a password using:
• Visual Basic Code.
• PassFab software for Excel.
• Zip file.
• Copying protected Excel content to another Worksheet.

2. How to make Workbook allow for read-only access?

The workbook allows for read-only access;

• Step 1: First, go to the File tab and then, select the Save As option from the list.
• Step 2: Next, select the This PC option under the Save As section.
• Step 3: Now, the window called Save As pops up.
• Step 4: Then, go to the Tools button, click the drop-down arrow and select General Options… from the list.

• Step 5: Now, the General Options window opens.
Next, enter the password in the Password to open text box.
• Step 6: Then, select the OK button.

• Step 7: Next time, when opening the file, the Password message box opens. We need to enter the password for write access or open or read-only.
• Step 8: Then, select the Read only button. The file will open for read only access.

3. How to protect cells in a worksheet?

The steps to perform the given tasks are listed as follows:

• Step 1: First, press CTRL + A to select the whole sheet.

• Step 2: Next, go to the Home tab and click the Format option in the Cells group. Then, select Format Cells from the drop-down list.

• Step 3: Now, a window called Format Cells opens.

• Step 4: Next, go to the Protection tab, and then uncheck the Locked checkbox.

• Step 5: Then, click OK.

• Step 6: Next, select the single-cell that we want to lock. In this example, we are locking cell A2.

• Step 7: Then, go to the Home tab and click the Format option in the Cells group. Now, select Format Cells from the drop-down list.

• Step 8: Meanwhile, the Format Cells window opens again.

• Step 9: Now, go to the Protection tab, and then, click the Locked checkbox.

• Step 10: Next, click OK.

• Step 11: Then, go to the Home tab and click the Format option in the Cells group. Next, select Protect Sheet from the drop-down list.

• Step 12: Now, a window called Protect Sheet opens.

• Step 13: Then, set the password to unprotect the sheet. Click the checkboxes of locked and unlocked cells.

• Step 14: Next, click OK.

• Step 15: Now, a window called Confirm Password opens.

• Step 16: Next, re-enter the set password to proceed.

• Step 17: Then, click OK.

• Step 18: Now, the selected cell A2 is locked. If anyone tries to make changes in the locked cell, the error box of Microsoft Excel will pop up, as shown in the following image.

Therefore, no other cell except the selected cell A2 is protected so that we can make changes in the whole sheet except cell A2. To make changes in cell A2, we must first unprotect the cell and enter the password.

Download Template

This article helps understand the working and usage of the Unprotect Workbook in Excel through examples. You can download the template and use it instantly.

Unprotect Excel Workbook Download

Unprotect Excel Workbook