4 Ways to Unlock a Password-Protected Excel File [Updated]

How to Open a Password Protected Excel File

In recent years, protecting important Microsoft Excel files with passwords has been the only way to keep them secure, as cybertheft increases. With work-related data and statistics always at risk, one must remain vigilant. To avoid any hassle later on, everyone should password-protect their computers, laptops, and devices for work.

Do you know if it's still possible to unlock a password-protected Excel file? This article will give you all the information you need to open a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet if you've forgotten the password that protects your workbook.

Before we proceed, you should know that if you can't open a password-protected Excel file even with the correct password, it might be due to a corrupted Excel file and not the password issue. So, let's first look at how to fix a damaged Excel file. After repairing the Microsoft Excel worksheet, you can try opening the password-protected Excel file again.

How to Open a Corrupted Password-Protected Excel File (2 Methods)

We all have been in a situation when an Excel file won't open due to corruption. It can be even worse if you don't have a backup of the Excel file. However, the best and easiest way is to use the Microsoft Repair Tool, which allows you to access a corrupted or damaged Excel file. There are two main ways to open a corrupted Excel file:

1. Use a file repair tool to fix and open a password-protected Excel document.

There are numerous software options available to open a damaged, password-protected Excel file. However, extreme caution is necessary when opting for a third-party tool to access a damaged Excel file, to ensure the safety of your workbook. Make sure the third-party product is reliable and capable of completing the task without compromising privacy.

The Fixo Document Repair tool is one of the most commonly recommended products for this type of Excel file repair job. The program can effectively and quickly fix XLSX files. Additionally, the Excel File Repair Kit is compatible with the latest Windows operating systems.

• ?‍⚕️ Can fix all corrupted Excel files, as well as Word, PPT, PDF, and other Microsoft Office documents.
• ?️ Helps you open 0KB PDF files and repair issues like Microsoft Word not opening or PPT pictures not displaying.
• ? Repairs elements such as formulas, cell comments, images, tables, worksheet charts, and more.

Now, you can follow the steps below to open a password-protected Excel file with Fixo tool:

Step 1: Launch the file repair tool on your Windows computer, select "File Repair," and then add the Microsoft Excel file.

Step 2: Click the "Repair All" button to fix the selected Microsoft Excel file. You can also click "Add File" to add more Excel files that need repairing.

Step 3: After all Microsoft Excel files have been repaired, you can save them. Click "View Repaired" to open the folder with the fixed files. You can preview the Excel worksheets before saving them.

2. Repair a corrupted Excel file using the "Open and Repair" method

Step 1: Click the "Microsoft Office" tab.

< b > Step 2: < /b > Click the “Open” button.

4. Click the arrow, then click “Open and Repair” to open the damaged file.

Step 5: Click on the “Repair” option to fix the Excel file.

If the above methods have helped you fix the Excel file, do not forget to share this page on social media to help more users open their Excel files!

How to Unlock a Password-Protected Excel File (4 Methods)

Microsoft has implemented various security measures to protect the contents of such Microsoft Excel files. But one major problem remains: what if you forget the password? Well, we have three methods to open a password-protected Excel file.

This is a video on how to unlock a password-protected Excel file without a password. Hopefully, this will be helpful for you!

• 00:00 How to Unprotect an Excel Spreadsheet
• 01:27 Remove Excel Password from XML File
• 05:07 Conclusion

After watching the video, you can review the four ways in the table below.

Method 1: Unlock a Password-Protected Excel with the Password

Enter the password for the Excel file, and in just a few seconds, the file will be displayed on your screen. Here's how to access a protected Excel worksheet with a known password (instructions may vary slightly if you're using a different version of Excel):

Solution 1: Open your Microsoft Excel file, find the worksheet you want to unlock, right-click on it, and select “Unprotect Sheet…”

Solution 2: Click on the “Review” tab, and then click “Unprotect Sheet” to disable the worksheet password protection.

Method 3: Click on “Home” at the top of the ribbon, then find the “Cells” section. Click “Format,” then select “Unprotect Sheet” from the drop-down menu. Click the button to unprotect the Excel file.

When you try to open a Microsoft Excel worksheet that is password protected, a prompt appears asking you to enter the password to unprotect the Excel sheet. Once unprotected, you will be able to view the information on the worksheet.

Enter the password and click “OK” in the bottom right corner of the pop-up window to unprotect the sheet. You should now be able to view and edit the file.

This method is called the easiest and fastest because it works for all versions of Excel, including Excel 2007, Excel 2010, Excel 2016, and above. Now that you know this simple trick, share it with your friends to unlock a password-protected Excel file.

Method 2: Remove Protection from an Excel Worksheet Using VBA Code

VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) is a programming language created by Microsoft that is integrated within Microsoft Office. You can learn more about VBA at this link: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/vba/library-reference/concepts/getting-started-with-vba-in-office. VBA code is used to perform numerous tasks, such as managing lists of objects, forecasting and budgeting, evaluating scientific data, and generating charts, among many others.

One of its advantages is that it can help you unlock Microsoft Excel spreadsheets without the need for third-party software. The process is straightforward and only involves four steps, as outlined below.

The first step is to open the problematic Microsoft Excel file.

Step 2: The quickest way to launch the Visual Basic Editor is to press Alt + F11.

The third block is the “Insert Menu” module.

Step 4: With the VBA code window open, you need to input the following VBA code lines.

Step 5: After you've entered your VBA code in the editor, click "Save." Your file will be saved as a macro-enabled workbook.

6. Press F5 to run the code.

If you follow the steps carefully, you'll be able to use VBA code to unprotect an Excel file without software. You can also refer to the linked article for more information on removing passwords from Excel.

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Method 3: Open a Password-Protected Excel File by Changing the File Extension This method exploits a small loophole in Excel by attempting to open a protected workbook by changing its file extension. Note that this might not work for all versions of Excel and could potentially damage your file, so make sure to back up your file first. Follow these steps: 1. Locate the password-protected Excel file you want to open. 2. Right-click on the file and select "Rename." 3. Change the file extension from `.xlsx` (or `.xls`, depending on your Excel version) to `.zip`. You may receive a warning asking if you're sure you want to change the extension; confirm the change. 4. After renaming, the file will appear as a compressed folder. Double-click it to unzip the contents. 5. Inside the unzipped folder, find the `xl` folder and then navigate into the `worksheets` subfolder. 6. Locate and right-click on `sheet1.xml` (or other worksheet names like `sheet2.xml`, `sheet3.xml`, etc.) and choose to open it with Notepad or another text editor. 7. In the text editor, search for the string ``. It's usually near the top of the file. 8. Delete the entire `` tag and its contents, including the opening and closing angle brackets. For example, remove the following: ``` ``` 9. Save and close the `sheet1.xml` file. 10. Close the unzipped folder and rename the original file's extension back to `.xlsx` (or `.xls`). 11. Try opening the Excel file again; it should no longer be password protected. Please note that this method does not remove other protections in Excel, such as locked cells or read-only permissions. If you need to fully unlock the workbook, you might need to use a different approach.

While these methods may not work with newer versions of Microsoft Excel, they are very effective for Microsoft Office 2010 or earlier. By changing the file extension, you can read or open a password-protected worksheet with these ten simple steps:

Step 1: Before you begin, it's essential to make a password-protected backup of your Excel file.

Step 2: After creating the backup, you need to change the filename by right-clicking on the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and selecting the "Rename" option.

Step three: you now need to zip your file, whether it's a .csv or an .xls.

Unlock Excel by Changing the File Extension

Step 4 With the renaming and extension change complete, you should now be able to unzip the contents of the ZIP file.

Step 5: Now you need to find a file that ends in .xml.

Step 6: Once you've located the .xml file, double-click it and open it with an XML editor.

Step 7: Press Ctrl+F to search for the word you want. In this case, it's “SheetProtection.” You have to find it.

Step 8: Look for and remove the terms from the file.

Step 9: Save the file with the word removed.

Step 10: Save the file, and then change the file extension from .zip to .xls or .csv, as you prefer.

Once you've gone through all ten steps above, your Microsoft Excel sheet will no longer be protected. This means that you can access any of your files without having to enter an Excel password.

Remove Password from Excel Workbook Online

If all else fails and you can't open your Excel file because you've forgotten the password, you can try using a professional online tool to unlock it. When using an online tool to unlock your Excel file, make sure you have a stable internet connection. However, it's worth noting that this method is not guaranteed to work 100%, especially if the password is strong and complex, in which case you may not be able to unlock the Excel file.

We recommend using LostMyPass to open a password-protected Excel file online, and you can unlock the Excel file with just a few steps:

Step 1: Visit the LostMyPass website and click on “Try Now.”

Step 2. Drag the locked Excel file into this window, or click the button to upload it. The online tool will then unlock your Excel worksheet.

Step 3: Once the file is unlocked, download and save it to your computer.

It's not impossible to crack an Excel file, and the following will introduce more online tools to remove Excel password to unlock a protected Excel worksheet:

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Last Words

Managing passwords for numerous professional and personal documents has become a challenge. Through this article, we aim to alleviate your frustration when you can't access an Excel spreadsheet due to forgetting the password. With the Fixo Document Repair tool, you now have the opportunity to open a password-protected Excel file. Seize this chance!

Frequently Asked Questions About Unlocking a Password-Protected Excel File

Here, we hope you can learn more about the common issues on how to unlock Excel files.

**1. Can you unlock an Excel file without a password?**

There are three ways to unlock an Excel file without a password:

• Unprotect Excel file with VBA code
• Open a password-protected Excel file by changing its file extension
• Unlock Excel worksheet online without a password

**How to password protect an Excel worksheet?** To set password protection for an Excel worksheet, follow these steps: 1. Open the Excel workbook you want to protect. 2. Select the worksheet tab you wish to protect (usually located at the bottom of the screen). 3. Right-click the selected worksheet tab and choose "Protect Sheet" from the context menu. 4. In the "Protect Sheet" dialog box that appears, check the actions you want to restrict, such as editing or formatting changes. 5. Enter the password you want to set in the "Password" field, then re-enter the same password in the "Confirm Password" field to confirm it. 6. Make sure the "Lock worksheet with password" option is checked, so that only people with the correct password can unlock the sheet. 7. Click "OK," and then enter the password again in the confirmation prompt that appears. 8. Click "OK" to apply the password protection. Now, your Excel worksheet is protected by a password. When others attempt to modify the protected worksheet, Excel will prompt them to enter the password. Remember to keep the password secure to avoid forgetting it.

After opening your Excel document on your computer, right-click the sheet you want to password protect. Select “Protect Sheet…” and your Excel worksheet will be protected with a password that you enter.

**3. Why can't I open an Excel file on Windows?**

There can be several reasons why you might not be able to open a protected Excel file on Windows, such as the file being locked, an unsupported file format, or the Excel file being corrupted. You can use tools like Fixo Document Repair to fix damaged Excel files and other documents.