Comments on: How to protect and unprotect Excel sheet with or without password

The tutorial shows the detailed steps to protect Excel sheet with or without passwords. It also explains how to unlock Excel spreadsheet without password if you forgot or misplaced it. Continue reading →

Comments page 3. Total comments: 390

  1. Works like a charm! This has saved a lot of time.
    Thank you very much.
    If you are having difficulty with this--make sure you click at the end of the text in the module before pressing F5.

  2. Thanks, the informations helps me

  3. works for me !
    Thanks a bunch

  4. Thank you very much.Very helpful.

  5. It took me a few tries, but it worked. I was surprised that it worked ... but it did!

  6. Works perfectly! The tip on unlocking sheets in 2013 and 2016 excel works as well, just make sure you save to an .xls file, and ALSO close out of excel and reopen the file before trying it. This opens the file in compatibility mode. Took me 20 minutes to figure out why it wasn't working.

  7. This is the coolest VBA code. Works perfectly. For those of you having problems, make sure you are right-clicking on the sheet to add the module, not the workbook. Thank you so much for posting!! What a time saver.

  8. Hi Thanks a lot
    you really made my day smartie.....

  9. Thank you so much!!! This was an incredible help.

  10. Hello,
    I would like ot thank you for the script to break up the PSW. Great job. really great work!

    Thank you!

  11. it worked!

  12. I have to agree with Kurt. I've been trying for hours to "Remove" a password from a WORKBOOK

  13. Me thinks Pepe Mano is rude and Stupid

  14. I've been using the cracker for years, working perfect. now my problem is I have new computer with office 265 and when I try to use it excel goes to "not responding" I have to go to task manager and end task to restart excel. Can anybody help me?

  15. Amazing...!
    I like excel and I appreciate...

  16. guys please help i have locked the workbook and then forgot the password how can i crack that

  17. There is a more simple way . You can simply upload the protected excel sheet to your google drive. Then open it using google spread sheet. Then u will be able to edit any cells from your google spread sheet. If you want to save it in your computer,just copy and paste it to a new sheet in MS excel.

    1. Brilliant! my prob solved in 2 mins - ive been trying to crack the pwd for months but never thought of this! I adore you!

    2. OMG this saved the day!! The VBA method worked last year and earlier this year but does not anymore, at least for the spreadsheets we have. THANK YOU KANAN

      1. Yes, Google Sheets works!!!!
        Thanks!

  18. Hi,
    awesome tip, worked perfectly, thanks for sharing!!
    But it won't let me save it, have to enter the password to save.
    thanks heaps

  19. ALERT!!! DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME ON THIS CRAP!!!!
    THIS MACRO AS POSTED ABOVE DOES NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT WORK
    THIS ARTICLE SHOULD BE REMOVED FROM THE INTERNET
    CRAP WASTE OF TIME!!!!!!

    Sub PasswordBreaker()
    'Breaks worksheet password protection.

    Dim i As Integer, j As Integer, k As Integer
    Dim l As Integer, m As Integer, n As Integer
    Dim i1 As Integer, i2 As Integer, i3 As Integer
    Dim i4 As Integer, i5 As Integer, i6 As Integer

    On Error Resume Next

    For i = 65 To 66: For j = 65 To 66: For k = 65 To 66
    For l = 65 To 66: For m = 65 To 66: For i1 = 65 To 66
    For i2 = 65 To 66: For i3 = 65 To 66: For i4 = 65 To 66
    For i5 = 65 To 66: For i6 = 65 To 66: For n = 32 To 126

    ActiveSheet.Unprotect Chr(i) & Chr(j) & Chr(k) & _
    Chr(l) & Chr(m) & Chr(i1) & Chr(i2) & Chr(i3) & _
    Chr(i4) & Chr(i5) & Chr(i6) & Chr(n)

    If ActiveSheet.ProtectContents = False Then
    MsgBox "Password is " & Chr(i) & Chr(j) & _
    Chr(k) & Chr(l) & Chr(m) & Chr(i1) & Chr(i2) & _
    Chr(i3) & Chr(i4) & Chr(i5) & Chr(i6) & Chr(n)

    Exit Sub

    End If

    Next: Next: Next: Next: Next: Next
    Next: Next: Next: Next: Next: Next
    End Sub

    1. I just used this method for the 1st time today and it worked like a charm.
      Your just not doing it right!!

  20. wait a couple of minutes (password crecker) mind you, a couple actually mean two. Been waiting for 15 minutes, still counting... Anybody experienced this??

  21. Hi all,
    I have the below macro code, that is intended to place the date and hour on the next columns after the column "X" is filled. The issue I need the support is that, the cells to place the date and time are protected, and when running the macro it crashes because it cannot edit the addressed Cells. So i need a way in which eider the cells are unlocked to allow the data to be updated and then locked or that the macro should be able to place the data even if the cells are locked.

    Any hints?

    Private Sub Worksheet_Change(ByVal Target As Range)
    If Target.Column = 5 And Target.Row > 2 Then
    Cells(Target.Row, Target.Column + 2).Value = Date
    Cells(Target.Row, Target.Column + 3).Value = Now
    End If
    If Target.Column = 9 And Target.Row > 2 Then
    Cells(Target.Row, Target.Column + 2).Value = Date
    Cells(Target.Row, Target.Column + 3).Value = Now
    End If
    End Sub

    Private Sub Worksheet_SelectionChange(ByVal Target As Range)

    End Sub

    1. Delete the columns and add them back.

  22. Works amazingly

  23. I keep trying the module procedure on VBA Project but I keep coming up with Compile Error: Invalid Outside Procedure. What am I doing wrong? Any tips?

  24. Awesome, Thank you its worked very well

  25. This is awesome! Thanks it worked like a charm!

  26. 100% Workable.
    Many Many Thanks for your nice & Simple presentation
    to solve the problem.

  27. Works perfectly fine!!! Thanks man!

  28. Thanks,Excellent details,very help full.

  29. how to prtect excel file to unprotect.plese send me process?

  30. Works fine, thanks.

  31. it works than you

  32. Excellent script! Thanks so much for publishing this!

  33. Hi,

    I need a macro to open a separate sheet from protected excel and disable all the formulas

  34. if it's not working on XlSX files - try to save the file first as macro-enabled file - XLSM - then try this hack it works perfectly - have a good day

  35. When I run the code, I get no response from Excel or the VBA editor and have to force close it. I waited as long as an hour to try and see if it would work.

  36. LIFESAVER! THANK YOU! Fixed my problem in 3 minutes.

  37. Thank You

    You are really Great

  38. Extremely useful info, managed to unlock very important docs so that our team could introduce needed changes

  39. Super, its works 100% :-)

  40. Hi,
    I protected a Sheet. I used a Password. We need to unlock and relock to add information. When I went back in to 'unprotect' its greyed out and I cant select unprotect. Now it seems its locked up. There is no option in the 'Info or Right click the sheet, nor on the review tool bar' any ideas to ungrey so we can lock and unlock everyday?

    FYI
    This is a shared workbook. Others will be updating the other tabs.

    thanks

  41. i have a XLS file but SHARED and protected
    vba is unusable, most of options are greyed out including insert-module
    can;t save it as xlsx and unzip it

    any solutions? can't find nothing on the internet

    1. Save the sheet as an xls file and then follow the steps. once completed save again as an xlxs sheet

  42. I'm using this on xlxs file but its not working only loading, no output since half hour.
    pls help....

  43. Hi,
    I am having an xlsx password protected sheet. e forgot the password the sheet and now we need the data from sheet on urgent basis.

    I tried ot follow your blog steps but unfortunately VBA editor for this sheet is coming as all options disabled.

    Can You please suggest what could be the issue.
    Thanks,
    Nida

  44. Excellent! The password cracker saved me days of work. My IT guys moved all my files to a new laptop, but some glitch in the MS Excel program on the new computer locked/protected all versions (online and my desktop) of a particular file. Thanks for being the smartest person around!

  45. Your password cracker worked perfectly. Thank you for this.

  46. WOW ITS WORKING

  47. Hi how to open the excel file with out password,

  48. Thank you very much for the code, it works perfectly. You saved me one day of work because after 4 years I had forgotten my password... I also unedrstand that security is relative :)

  49. Hello.
    Please could you help me solve small problem.
    I would like to know if is possible to modify Protect sheet /which is set up like preset. To add in the list one more option- allow /merge and center/

    thx

  50. Unprotect excel sheet formula doesn't works

    1. It does work. If you are working with a spreadsheet that is later than 2010, you must save as .xls format first then run the macro.

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