Excel Basics – Protect Workbook in Excel

Protecting a workbook in Excel can prevent other users from viewing hidden worksheets, adding, moving, deleting, or hiding worksheets, and renaming worksheets. You can protect the workbook with or without a password.

Protect Excel File

To password protect an Excel file, execute the following steps.

1. Open an Excel file.

2. On the File tab, click Save As.

3. Click Browse.

4. Click on the Tools button and click General Options.

5. In the Password to open box, enter a password and click OK.

6. Reenter the password and click OK.

Note: This feature also encrypts your Excel file. If you lose or forget the password, it cannot be recovered.

7. Enter a file name and click Save.

It requires a password to open this Excel file now.

Conclusion

Here are some additional tips for protecting workbooks in Excel:

• Use a strong password. A strong password is at least 8 characters long and includes a mix of upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols.
• Do not share the password with anyone. The password is the only way to unprotect the workbook.
• Back up the workbook regularly. If you forget the password, you will not be able to open the workbook.
• Structure: This option prevents users from adding, deleting, renaming, moving, copying, hiding, or unhiding worksheets.
• Windows: This option prevents users from moving, resizing, or closing the workbook window, or hiding/unhiding windows.
• Contents: This option prevents users from editing the contents of cells.
• Formatting: This option prevents users from formatting cells, such as changing the font, font size, color, or alignment.

If you need to share the workbook with others, you can create a copy of the workbook and remove the password before sharing it. This will allow others to view and edit the workbook, but they will not be able to make any changes to the structure or data of the workbook.

Bonus Tip: Explore the “Allow specific changes” option for even finer control over what users can modify within your protected workbook.

By incorporating workbook protection into your Excel workflow, you can collaborate effectively while keeping your valuable data safe.