Passwords are everywhere nowadays. Every website you sign up for requires a password, your Windows computer requires a password, and let’s not get started on Two Factor Authentication. For some people, it’s irritating having to come up with and remember all of these passwords. Although it’s a necessary security measure, there’s no denying how tedious it can be. Microsoft made this a part of their Microsoft Office package and the more forgetful users have found themselves wondering how to remove password from Excel file.
With so many passwords, you’re going to forget them occasionally. Adding passwords to files isn’t seen as bothersome, though, and some users have wanted this ability for years. But this doesn’t take away from the fact that you’ll have to remember your passwords, either by memorizing them or using a password manager. In this article, we’ll be focusing on Microsoft Excel. You can use password protection either to lock the document completely or to restrict edits, and we’re going to observe how to bypass both.
Setting Passwords for an Excel Worksheet
If you’re wondering why you should set a password for an Excel worksheet, you’re not alone. It is a relatively new feature of the program but is something many have been waiting for. It’s a simple matter of security and privacy.
Some documents contain information you don’t want others to see. Businesses don’t want their financial records being public information, nor would they want employee details to be easily accessible. Spreadsheets are an effective way of storing this type of data, and a password ensures it remains private. By the way, if you need to find out how to remove password from PPT, as well as thebest WinRAR password remover, here is the best way for you.
When you’re not trying to remove protection from Excel, but rather add it, here are some tips.
There aren’t any tight requirements for setting an Excel password. So, if you enter an insecure password, you won’t see a warning.
Typically, you should aim for your password to be at least 6 characters. Ideally, though, try to have it around 10 characters. The longer it is, the harder it’ll be to crack. Although, the longer the password is, the harder it’ll be for you to remember it.
When we say complexity, we mean that your password shouldn’t only contain letters. You should include a mixture of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and a couple of special characters too. The more complex the password is, the harder it’ll be for someone to guess it or crack.
Limit Password Sharing
Who you share the password with will differ depending on your situation. However, in most cases, you shouldn’t share it at all (or at the very most, one other person).
Giving a password to more people means that it’s at a greater risk of falling into the wrong’s hands. Only give others access to the protected Excel spreadsheet if it’s 100% necessary.
How to Add a Password to Excel File
Starting with the very first process, you’ll likely use, this process details how to add a password to your Excel file. Doing this will prevent anyone without the password from so much as opening the file, let alone reading it.
Step #1 – Locate and open the Excel file you would like to add a password to.
Step #2 – Once the spreadsheet opens, click on the “File” tab and then “Info.”
Step #3 – Click on “Protect Workbook” and choose “Encrypt with Password” from the encryption options that appear.
Step #4 – A popup box will appear on your screen. Use this to enter a strong password that you can remember or save it in a password manager app.
Step #5 – Type the password into the box for a second time to confirm that this is the password you want to use. Click “Enter” to finish adding the password to Excel.
Step #6 – After you have successfully encrypted the Excel file, close the window, and reopen the file to check if the password has been enabled.
Once you do this, every time you need to open the file, you must enter the passcode. If the novelty wears off and you don’t want the password, we’ll show you how to remove password from Excel file later on.
How to Add a Password to Restrict Excel Editing
Maybe you don’t want to add a total lock to the Excel file. Perhaps you just want to stop people from making edits whilst being able to read the spreadsheet’s contents. If that’s the case, then you can add editing restrictions.
Step #1 – Start by opening the excel file that you want to restrict editing to.
Step #2 – After opening the file, click on “File > Info.”
Step #3 – Click “Protect Workbook” and from the list, select “Protect Current Sheet.”
Step #4 – A popup window will appear. Check the “Protect Worksheet and Contents of Locked Cells” option.
Step #5 – On this page, you’ll be able to adjust the restrictions. Scroll through the various options and check the boxes of the features you want users to have access to.
Step #6 – Next, enter a suitable password for the spreadsheet and press “OK” to proceed.
Step #7 – Type in the password again to verify it, and click on “OK” one last time.
This is particularly useful for whenever you share a file. Tracking down whoever makes edits to a shared file isn’t always easy, but revoking access might not be appropriate.
Adding this basic edit-restricting password to your Excel file will ensure that only you (or any password holders) can make changes to the spreadsheet. If you forget the password that you’ve chosen then don’t worry, we’ll also be showing you how to remove protection from Excel.
How to Remove Protection from Excel with Password
Moving on to one of the more complex issues that users face. Knowing how to remove password from Excel File is a rather simple task, but only if you already know what the password is. Assuming this is the case, here’s how to remove the password if you know it.
Step #1 – Find and open the Excel file, which has password protection.
Step #2 – Submit the file’s password so that you can have full access to the spreadsheet.
Step #3 – Head over to “File > Info” and click on “Protect Workbook.”
Step #4 – Next, click on “Encrypt with Password” and when the popup window appears, delete the password from the box.
Step #5 – Press the “OK” button to confirm the password removal and save the file.
Following these steps allows you to remove the password from an Excel file which has file protection. On the other hand, you might want to remove protection from Excel file to get rid of editing restrictions.
How to Remove Editing Restrictions from Excel with Password
You can remove your editing restrictions from an Excel document in a similar way. Follow the steps below to see how.
Step #1 – Open up the Excel file with editing restrictions.
Step #2 – From the toolbar at the top, click “File” and then “Info.”
Step #3 – Proceed to click on “Protect Workbook” and select “Restrict Editing.” Enter the password that was created when you first enabled the restrictions.
Step #4 – On the list of restrictions, locate and select “Stop Protection.”
Step #5 – Lastly, click “OK” and save the document.
Making this change effectively removes the read-only restrictions of a Microsoft Excel file. It goes without saying that you can only remove password from Excel file with this method if you have the original password. If not, you must take a different approach.
Removing Excel Passwords without the Password
A more common situation you might find yourself in is trying to access an Excel file when you don’t know the password. Sure, it’s easy enough to remove protection from excel if you were the creator of the file. But what happens when you require information from a spreadsheet that someone else added protection to?
The answer is Passper for Excel, a program which will assist you. After scanning the chosen Excel file, Passper will discover the file’s password. You can then use the findings to unlock the spreadsheet after you open it.
- Removes passwords from Excel files so that you can print documents
- Removes editing restrictions so that you’re able to make changes to a spreadsheet
- Uses 4 different password recovery methods to regain access quickly
- Utilizes your computer’s CPU and GPU to ensure a speedy experience
- Supports Windows Vista to Windows 10
- Does not cause any data loss when removing an Excel password
- There are alternate versions of Passper for Word, PowerPoint, PDF, and other filetypes
- Available as a free or paid program
Given that Passper for Excel uses 4 password cracking methods, it might sound like an intimidating solution. That’s not the case – it doesn’t matter how technical you are; this is an easy program to use.
How to Remove Protection from Excel without Password
In this next method, you will see Passper for Excel in action. When you don’t have a file’s password and therefore are unable to open it, follow these steps to remove password from Excel file.
Step #1 – Download and install the Passper for Excel program on your computer.
Step #2 – Open the program and from the main menu, click on “Recover Passwords.”
Step #3 – Next, you must select which Excel file to unlock. Click “Add” and use the popup window to locate and select the Excel file to remove a password from.
Step #4 – After selecting the file, you’ll see a brief description of each password recovery method that you can use. Select whichever you prefer, and click “Recover.”
Step #5 – Passper will now begin rigorously cracking the Excel file’s password. How long this takes is dependant on the recovery method you chose.
Step #6 – After hopefully not too long, the scan will finish, and you will see the password. Open the Excel file and use this password to unlock it.
Usually, this approach won’t take too long as most people use simple passwords. If the Excel file uses a more intricate password then, of course, it’ll take a little longer.
How to Remove Editing Restrictions from Excel without Password
Passper for Excel is also useful to remove protection from Excel when the owner has editing restrictions enabled. Here’s a short guide on removing these restrictions with Passper.
Step #1 – Install the Passper for Excel software on your computer, then launch it.
Step #2 – When the program’s main menu loads, click on the “Remove Restrictions” feature.
Step #3 – Click on the “Add” button and navigate to the Excel file, and select it.
Step #4 – After importing your file into Passper for Excel, click “Remove.”
Step #5 – In a matter of seconds, the editing restrictions will be removed, and you’ll be able to make changes to the spreadsheet file.
This is a significantly easier and quicker way of getting into a Microsoft Excel file compared to if there is password protection. That said, whether you want to bypass the file’s password or its editing restrictions, Passper for Excel is the most effective solution you’ll find.
To Conclude on How to Remove Protection from Excel
Password protecting your important Microsoft Excel files can be greatly beneficial. Valuable personal information won’t be seen by other people, and financial spreadsheets will be for your eyes only. If you’re unable to view your spreadsheets because you can’t remember what you set the password as, as stressed as this might make you, it’s not the end of the world. The methods above to remove password from Excel file will allow you to regain access and make any changes. Spreadsheets are fantastic and so is password protection, but they can’t work around human error just yet!