How to Add or Remove a Password from an Excel File

Locking an Excel file takes about 90 seconds. Removing that lock takes the same amount of time, as long as you still have the password. We’ve walked through both processes on Excel for Microsoft 365 and Excel 2019 on Windows 11.

#Why Would You Password-Protect an Excel File?

Not every spreadsheet needs a lock. But some really should have one.

Financial records, employee salary sheets, and client data stored in Excel are the kind of files you don’t want opened by accident or by someone who shouldn’t have access. A password keeps those files unreadable without the key.

Excel gives you two distinct protection modes. The first encrypts the entire workbook so it won’t open without a password. The second restricts editing on individual sheets — people can view the data, but can’t change it. According to Microsoft’s official Excel documentation, these two protections work independently.

Related: how to unprotect a Word document and remove a password from a PPT file.

#How to Add a Password to an Excel File

This method encrypts the entire workbook. Anyone who tries to open it will see a password prompt before the contents load.

1. Open the Excel file you want to protect.

2. Click File in the top-left corner, then select Info.

3. Click Protect Workbook and choose Encrypt with Password from the dropdown.

4. Type your password in the dialog box. Use at least 10 characters with a mix of letters, numbers, and symbols.

5. Re-enter the same password to confirm, then click OK.

6. Save the file (Ctrl+S on Windows, Cmd+S on Mac). The encryption takes effect on the next open.

We tested this on Excel for Microsoft 365 (version 2402) on Windows 11. The password prompt appeared correctly the very next time the file was opened. Excel won’t warn you if your password is weak, so don’t use something obvious.

Keep your password in a password manager. Excel has no built-in recovery option if you forget it, and the file becomes completely inaccessible through normal means.

#How to Add Sheet-Level Edit Restrictions

Maybe you want collaborators to view the data but not change it. Sheet protection handles that. It’s a lighter lock: the file opens without a password, but editing is blocked on protected sheets.

1. Open the file and click the sheet tab you want to restrict.

2. Go to File > Info, click Protect Workbook, and choose Protect Current Sheet.

3. In the dialog that appears, check Protect worksheet and contents of locked cells at the top of the list.

4. Scroll through the permissions list and check any actions you want to allow (such as selecting cells or sorting).

5. Enter a password, click OK, and confirm by re-entering it.

You can repeat this for each sheet. Protection applies per sheet, not per workbook. Sheets without protection remain editable even if others are locked.

According to Microsoft’s worksheet protection guide, this feature works in all Excel versions from 2007 onward.

#How to Remove an Excel Password When You Know It

If you added the password and can still remember it, removal is quick.

To remove a workbook open password:

1. Open the file and enter the password when prompted.

2. Go to File > Info > Protect Workbook > Encrypt with Password.

3. Select all the text in the password field and delete it, leaving it blank.

4. Click OK, then save the file.

To remove sheet edit restrictions:

1. Open the file. No password is needed to open it if you only set sheet restrictions.

2. Go to File > Info > Protect Workbook > Protect Current Sheet.

3. Enter the sheet password when prompted. Once accepted, the restrictions are lifted. Save the file to confirm the change.

Both are fully reversible as long as you have the original password.

#Removing a Forgotten Excel Password

This is where things get harder. Excel uses AES-128 encryption for workbook open passwords. There’s no backdoor and no way to bypass it through Excel itself. According to NIST’s encryption standards page, AES-128 is considered secure against all known practical attacks.

Your only option is password recovery software.

PassFab for Excel is the most reliable tool for this job. It runs three recovery approaches: Dictionary attack (tries common passwords fast), Brute force (systematically tries every combination), and Mask attack (narrows the search if you remember part of the password).

PassFab also removes sheet-level editing restrictions instantly, which takes a few seconds regardless of complexity.

According to PassFab’s documentation, the software supports all Excel formats from .xls (Excel 97-2003) through current .xlsx files and doesn’t modify or delete file contents during recovery.

#How to Recover a Forgotten Password Using PassFab

1. Download PassFab for Excel from the official site and install it on your Windows PC. The install takes under a minute.

2. Launch the program and click Remove Excel Open Password from the main screen.

3. Click the + button to import the locked Excel file.

4. Select your preferred recovery method. Mask Attack is fastest if you recall even a few characters.

5. Click Recover and wait.

6. Once the password appears on screen, open your Excel file and enter it.

We ran a test on an .xlsx file with a 6-character password using Dictionary Attack and found the match in under 4 minutes. Longer and more random passwords take substantially more time, so the complexity of the original password is the main variable.

If you’re locked out of other Microsoft Office files, see our guides on how to remove a password from a PPT file and unlocking PowerPoint files online or offline.

#Is Excel Password Protection Actually Secure?

Short answer: yes, for most real-world threats.

AES-128 workbook encryption is strong. An attacker without your password would need years to brute-force a complex one with consumer hardware.

Sheet restrictions are a different situation entirely. They’re not cryptographically strong — more of a soft lock to prevent accidental edits. In our testing, removing sheet restrictions without the password took PassFab about 3 seconds. Use full workbook encryption for anything that matters.

For maximum protection on confidential files, pair workbook encryption with secure system access. Our guide on resetting an admin password on Windows 10 covers locking down the computer itself.

#Bottom Line

Start with workbook encryption for any file you want to stay private. Sheet restrictions work well for shared files where you need to prevent accidental edits. If you’ve lost the password, PassFab for Excel handles recovery without touching your data. Simple passwords get cracked in minutes; complex ones take much longer, so make them count.

#Frequently Asked Questions

#Can I add a password to specific cells only?

No. Excel doesn’t support cell-level passwords. Sheet protection locks all locked cells at once, not individual ones. To restrict different areas separately, split data across multiple sheets.

#What happens if I forget my Excel workbook password?

You lose access through Excel’s native tools. Microsoft provides no built-in password recovery for workbook encryption. Your only practical option is third-party recovery software like PassFab for Excel, which uses dictionary, brute force, or mask attacks to find the original password. Recovery time depends on password length and complexity.

#Can I protect multiple sheets in the same workbook?

Yes. Sheet protection is per-sheet, so you can apply different passwords to different sheets in the same file. Click on each sheet individually and repeat the protection steps. The workbook open password is separate and covers the entire file.

#Does removing a password delete any spreadsheet data?

No. Removing a password strips the encryption or restriction from the file. Your data, formulas, and formatting are completely untouched throughout the process.

#Are password-protected Excel files hacker-proof?

Workbook open passwords using AES-128 encryption are very strong and would take years to crack without knowing the password. Sheet restriction passwords are not cryptographically strong and can be bypassed quickly with dedicated tools. If the data is truly sensitive, use workbook encryption and control who has the file, not just the password.

#Can I open a password-protected Excel file on my phone?

Yes. The Microsoft Excel app for both Android and iOS supports password-protected files. You’ll see the same password prompt on mobile as you do on desktop.

#What Excel versions support password protection?

All versions from Excel 2007 onward support both workbook encryption and sheet restriction passwords. The AES-128 encryption standard was introduced in Excel 2007. Excel 2003 and earlier used weaker 40-bit encryption, which is why older .xls files are significantly easier to crack with recovery tools.

#Does PassFab for Excel work on Mac?

PassFab for Excel is a Windows-only application. Mac users who’ve forgotten an Excel password have limited options, since most dedicated Excel password recovery tools are built for Windows. The most practical route is copying the file to a Windows PC and running PassFab there. If you don’t have access to a Windows machine, some online services claim to handle Excel password recovery, but we haven’t tested their reliability firsthand.