[4 Ways] How to remove protection from an Excel sheet without knowing the password

Have you ever opened the Excel file you needed, only to find that the sheet is protected by a password that you have forgotten? This situation is familiar to many and can really ruin your mood. It seems that all the data is right there, within reach, but it is impossible to make changes or simply copy the information.

Fortunately, there is no need to despair. There are several working ways to bypass this protection, even if you don't know the password. They don't require any programming skills and often solve the problem in a couple of minutes.

In this article, we will look at four simple and proven methods that will help you remove the lock. You will be able to regain full access to your data and continue working without any hassle.

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PassFab for Excel is one of the best tools for removing protection from Excel sheets/workbooks, as well as for recovering forgotten or lost Excel passwords. The tool guarantees that no Excel data will be deleted after protection is removed. With its help, you can remove protection from Excel sheets, including 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010, 2007, 2003, 2000, and 97. Let's take a closer look at some of its features.

• It shows which folder files will have version histories. Remember them and save important documents in these paths to use the tool as intended.unlike other tools, all sheets contained in an Excel document can be unlocked with a single click of the mouse.
• It takes only 3 seconds to remove protection from an Excel sheet:Let's look at another method that allows you to save previous versions of files in Windows 11 and restore them if you suddenly need to. The tool discussed below is somewhat similar to the previous one, but has slightly different settings. You will not be able to select the folders to be copied, as they are determined automatically. Only exceptions can be created, i.e., the archiving of one or more directories can be canceled. Let's take a closer look at this topic below.
• Password recovery:in addition to removing protection from Excel sheets/workbooks, it can also recover and display the original Excel passwords.
• No data leakage:this is a standalone tool, so all data contained in the sheet remains on your device. This means your Excel data is 100% secure.

To remove protection from an Excel sheet without knowing the password using PassFab for Excel, follow these steps.

Step 1: First, download PassFab for Excel to your computer and install it.

Step 2: After successfully installing the program, launch it and select the option “Remove password, excel restrictions”.

Step 3: Import the Excel spreadsheet by clicking the + icon and specifying the location of the locked file in Explorer.

Step 4: Click the “Remove” to remove protection from the Excel sheet.

Step 5: The sheet lock password will be removed in less than 3 seconds. Click the button. “Open Folder” to access a copy of the file with the lock removed, open the file ready for editing.

Video on how to remove protection from an Excel sheet using PassFab for Excel

2.2 How to recover a forgotten password for Excel using PassFab for Excel

Step 1: Launch PassFab for Excel and select the option in the main user interface “Recover Excel Password”.

Step 2: Add the password-protected Excel file by clicking the button «+».Select your preferred attack mode for password recovery.

Step 3: Once the process is complete, the tool will show you the password that can be used to open the document, and you will be able to remove protection from the Excel sheet.

Whenever you need to recover your Excel password, you can use PassFab for Excel to crack any password, whether complex or simple. The tool is safe and easy to use.

Method 2. Remove protection from an Excel sheet/workbook without a password by copying and pasting

The second fairly simple way to unprotect an Excel sheet is to copy all the password-protected content stored in the Excel sheet and paste it into a new sheet.

Step 1: Open the Excel spreadsheet whose sheets are protected from modification.

Step 2: Select all cells in the Excel sheet by pressing Ctrl + A, then copy these cells by pressing Ctrl + C.

Step 3: Create a new sheet and paste these cells into the new sheet by pressing Ctrl + V.

After that, you will be able to add, change, or delete cells in this sheet.

What to look for:

• Make sure that the “Select Locked Cells” and “Select unlocked cells” must be enabled before the sheet is protected, otherwise this method will not be available.
• All external links will be removed after pasting the protected sheet into a new sheet.

Method 3. How to remove protection from an Excel sheet online

Before that, remove password from excel file, to avoid data loss, create a backup copy of the document, then follow these steps to unlock the Excel file online.

Step 1: Open Google Docs and log in to your Gmail account.

Step 2: In the upper left corner of the screen, tap the hamburger icon (three horizontal stripes), and in the menu that opens, select “Spreadsheets”.

Step 3: Here, create a new table in which open the menu“File”, and then select“Import”.

Step 4: A dialog box will appear; click “Upload” and “Select file on device”, to upload your edit-protected Excel sheet.

Step 5: After downloading the Excel spreadsheet, select “Replace Table” and click “Import data”.The unprotected Excel sheet will open in Google Docs.

Step 6:Go back to the menu “File” and click “Download”, then select “Microsoft Excel (XLSX)” the file will be downloaded to your device in the folder “Downloads”.

Step 7:After that, if you try to open and edit this Excel file on your computer, it will no longer ask you to enter a password.

What to look for:

• This is a very slow process for removing protection from an Excel sheet if the data size is large enough.
• After uploading the Excel file to Google Docs, it will be saved in the cloud.

Method 4. How to remove protection from an Excel sheet using a ZIP archiver

Another way to unblock an Excel spreadsheet, this method works for Excel files in .xlsx.Therefore, if your Excel spreadsheet is saved in .xls format, you must save it in .xlsx format.

Step 1: Change the file name extension from .xlsx on .zip and click “Yes”, when you see the prompt.

Step 2: Use the program 7ZIP, to open the ZIP archive. Open the folder named "xl → worksheets", where you will find the files, Sheet1.xml, Sheet2.xml, Sheet3.xml.

To remove protection from an Excel sheet, right-click on "Sheet1.xmlto select a location for saving copies, click on the left panel. “Edit”, it will then open in a text editor“Notepad”.

Step 3: Remove the tag that starts with “SheetProtection”.

Step 4: “File History” “Start” sheet1.xml and close the file.

Step 5: Upon request “Do you want to update the file in the archive?” click the button “OK.”

Step 6: Change the file extension back to .xlsx.Open it and you will find that the file is no longer locked.

What to look for:

• Select one of the logical volumes where file histories will be saved, or add a network location.
• Not recommended if you are not familiar with editing code.

You may be interested in: How to Reset Your Password in Windows 10/8/7 in 2021

So, we have looked at several working methods that can help you remove protection from an Excel sheet if you have forgotten the password. It is important to understand that none of them provide a 100% guarantee, especially if a complex and long password is set. However, for most everyday situations, these methods are quite effective.

Remember that bypassing sheet protection is primarily a way to regain access to your own data. Using this knowledge to hack into other people's files is not only unethical, but may also be illegal. Always respect the copyright and privacy of other people's information.

We hope this information was helpful and helped you solve the problem. To avoid similar situations in the future, try to keep your passwords in a safe place or use more complex passwords to protect your books that you will definitely not forget.