How to Remove Password from Excel with or Without Password

Microsoft Excel is an application within the Microsoft Office suite. It is a spreadsheet or database software that facilitates data analysis and visualization through VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) macro programming. The strength of this application lies in the extensive range of features it offers to users.

Mathematical data can be represented in many ways, including through mathematical computations, maps, infographics, and statistics. Excel also protects spreadsheets, so the benefits are even greater. Anyone wishing to protect their material can simply password-protect the document. The password prevents unauthorized access to the information, which can be opened only by someone who knows it.

But for some reason, you might need to remove the password from an Excel file. This article will show you how to remove an Excel password, whether you remember it or not.

How to Remove a Password from Excel with a Password

If you happen to know the password, there are two ways to help you remove password from Excel. It's quite easy in this case.

Method 1: Remove Excel Password with Info Feature

If you know the password, removing it from an Excel file is a walk in the park. Here's how:

Step 1: First, open the file you want to remove the password from.

Step 2: Type in your current password and click “OK” to access the file.

Step 3. In the top-left corner of the screen, click on the “File” tab to access the settings.

Step 4: Now, in the pane on the left, click Info, and then click Protect Workbook.

Step 5: On the next screen, tap “Encrypt with Password,” then remove any password that's visible in the password field.

Your password has been successfully removed. Close and save the file to access it directly.

Method 2: Using the "Save As" Option

Step 1: Open the password-protected Excel file that you want to decrypt. Enter the Excel password and click “OK.”

Step 2: In the upper-left corner of the open Excel spreadsheet, choose Save As from the File tab.

Step 3: A window will pop up for you to select a folder.

Step 4. Click on “Tools” in the bottom right corner of the window. Select “Options” from the drop-down menu.

The General Options dialog box appears, listing the user name and password used to open and edit the Excel document. After removing the credentials from both text fields, click OK.

Step 6: Save and close the file to save your changes.

How to Remove a Password from Excel Without the Password

If you've forgotten your Excel password, don't panic. Try one of the two possible solutions below to remove it.

Method 1: Convert the Excel Worksheet to a Zip File

If you don't know the password to an Excel file, there's no direct way to remove it. However, a few tricks might help, such as using third-party software or converting the Excel file to a Zip file. Here's how to convert an Excel file to a Zip file:

Step 1: Right-click the Excel file within the target folder, and then rename the file extension from ".xlsx" to ".zip."

Step 2: A prompt will ask you if you want to edit it. Click "Yes".

Step 3: Right-click the zip file and select “Extract All” to retrieve the data inside.

A window will appear showing the location of the retrieved file. Select “Extract” from the menu.

Step 5: Click on the "XL" folder within the search results. Proceed to the "Worksheets" folder within the "XL" folder.

Step 6: Inside your password-protected Excel file, you will find a list of XML files containing all the data and algorithms from the Excel sheets. The names of the sheets – Sheet1.xml, Sheet2.xml, and so on – give it away.

Step 7: To edit the XML file, open it in Notepad, and search for the section that contains the word “protection.”

Step 8: Delete everything, including the "and" > "letters. Save and close Notepad.

Step 9. Repeat Steps 1 through 11 for each XML file in the worksheets folder of the Excel spreadsheet. Make sure you update all XML files.

Step 10: Go back to the file you opened, select all of them, and replace the data files in the zip with your modified versions.

Step 11. From the context menu, choose Send To > Compressed (zipped) folder. This will create a new ZIP file. Change the file extension from “.zip” to “.xlsx”.

A prompt will appear asking if you want to update it. Right-click "Yes." Open the Excel spreadsheet. You can now view and edit the saved Excel data within the spreadsheet without having to enter a password.

Method 2: Use an Online Excel Password Remover

If none of the above methods work and you're completely stumped as to how to access your Excel file without a password, there are specialized Excel password-changing or removal tools available online that can help. Here's how an online password-removal tool like Password-Find works:

Step one: Go to the password-recovery website.

Step 2: Browse and locate the Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint document that you want to unprotected from your local device.

Step 3: Wait for the tool to remove the password from the Excel file.

Step 4: Check the service fees.

How to Remove a Password from an Excel Spreadsheet on a Mac

A MacBook is way different from a regular Windows laptop. It runs on a different operating system and entirely different algorithms. Likewise, the process to change or remove Excel file password is different on Mac and Windows. Removing a password is more straightforward on a Mac than on Windows.

If you have a Mac, here's how to remove the password:

Step 1: First, open the protected Excel file on your MacBook.

Step 2: Click on the toolbar at the top-right corner of the screen and select "File."

3. Select “Password” from the drop-down menu. This will take you to the password-setting page. Clear out the text box in this area, then click OK.

Step 4: Remove the password protection from the Excel document.

How to Repair and Recover Damaged Excel Files

When removing a password from an MS Excel file, there is a considerable risk of data loss or file corruption. Suppose you're trying different methods to remove the password, and suddenly, the file gets corrupted. It can be a mess if your file contains crucial data.

However, you don't have to worry, as there is the Fixo Document Repair Tool – an all-in-one file recovery and repair solution that can effectively and quickly fix corrupted files, including documents, videos, and photos.

Here's your video tutorial:

• 00:14 - Method 1: Insert into a New Word Document
• 00:38 - Method 2: Use Open and Repair
• 00:55 - Method 3: Default Settings
• 01:30 - Method 4: Utilize Fixo Document Repair Tool

Click here to download the file recovery software to repair corrupted Excel file.

Step 1: Download and run Fixo on your computer or laptop. Select "File Repair" to fix corrupted Office documents, including Word, Excel, PDF, and others. Click "Add File" to choose the damaged document.

Step 2. Click “Repair All” to fix multiple files at once. If you want to repair only one, hover over the target file and click “Repair.” You can also preview the document by clicking the eye icon.

Select the document to repair

Step 3: Click “Save” to save the selected documents. Choose “Save All” to save all repaired files. Select “View Repairs” to locate the repaired folder.

If you're trying to open an encrypted ZIP file, you might also be interested in our article on that topic:

Please provide the English content you would like translated, and I will do my best to translate it into Chinese.

How to Open a Password Protected ZIP File [100% Working]

This article will show you how to open a password protected ZIP file using 7-Zip, WinRAR, and WinZip with or without a password.  Read More >>

Conclusions

Putting a password on an Excel file is always a wise precaution. However, it can become frustrating when you forget the password to an important document. In such cases, we've outlined some of the simplest methods to recover and remove Excel passwords.

However, if you accidentally delete or damage your Excel file, recovering or fixing it can be difficult. Let a Fixo tool do the job for you to skip all the complicated steps. It's a quick way to recover and repair all your Excel files.