Can't unprotect excel workbook

Do you want to make changes to your Excel workbook or worksheet, but find that they’re locked or protected? If so, you might need to unprotect them first. This will allow you to edit the content, structure, and formatting of your spreadsheet.

But how do you unprotect an Excel worksheet or workbook? And what happens if you don’t know the password? If you’re unsure how to proceed with unlocking your data in a protected Excel file, follow the steps below.

How to unprotect excel workbook without password 2023

Unprotecting a Workbook vs. Unprotecting a Worksheet in Excel

Before we start, let’s clarify the difference between unprotecting a workbook and unprotecting a worksheet. A workbook is used to describe an entire Excel file.

A worksheet, however, is used to describe the individual sheets in your Excel spreadsheet—the tabs of data you’ll see at the bottom of the window.

Unprotecting a workbook means that you can make structural changes to the workbook as a whole, such as adding, deleting, hiding, or renaming worksheets.

You can also change the workbook properties and settings in your Excel spreadsheet by removing the protec

how to unlock sheet in excel

how to unprotect workbook in excel