Password Protect an Excel Spreadsheet

You can easily add a password to an Excel spreadsheet from within the document's settings! If you don't have the latest edition of Excel, don't worry–you can password-protect documents in most renditions of Excel.

Steps

Using Excel 2010/2013/2016

  1. Open your Excel document.
  2. Click File. This is in the top left corner of the screen.
  3. Click Protect Workbook.[1]
  4. Click "Encrypt with Password".
  5. Type in a password. Take care not to forget this password; if you lose it, you won't be able to open your file.
  6. Click OK.
  7. Re-enter your password.
  8. Click OK.
  9. Close your document. If prompted, click Save Changes first.
  10. Re-open your document. You should see a field that reads "(YourFile).xlsx is protected".
  11. Type in your password.
  12. Click OK. If you typed in your password correctly, you should now have access to your document!

Using Excel 2007

  1. Open your Excel document.
  2. Click the "Review" tab.[2]
  3. Click Protect Workbook. This is in the "Changes" section.
  4. Check the "Structure" box. If you have also set up specific windows within the file, check the pertinent box as well.
  5. Type in your password. You may need to do this twice.
  6. Click OK. Your excel file is now password-protected! When you open it, you'll be asked to input your password.

Tips

  • Password protecting your Excel sheet will keep the average user from messing around in your files, but a determined user can purchase password-cracking software to view your sheets.

Warnings

  • Write down your password somewhere so you don't forget it.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Password-protect-documents-workbooks-and-presentations-ef163677-3195-40ba-885a-d50fa2bb6b68?ui=en-US&rs=en-US&ad=US&fromAR=1
  2. ↑ http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/microsoft-office/use-a-password-to-secure-access-to-an-excel-workbook/
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