Open password-protected the file from this simple excel tips & tricks. Learn how to unprotect excel or remove password from excel. Let me warn you upfront – THE MOMENT you learn applying this trick on How to Unprotect Excel, you’ll JUMP in ecstasy. If you are ready, then read on.
Almost ALL Excel users wish at some point or the other felt the need for some magic to “UnProtect Excel Sheet” password so that they can see the formula and make changes.
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How to Unprotect Excel Worksheet or Remove Password From Excel
* Please note that this is the worksheet password and not the workbook password *
To remove password from Excel, you should follow the below steps,
WARNING: People who take the help of Google, they are redirected to 100’s of sites who ask you to download some software:
- Some of those software apps will display only the first 2 or 3 characters of the Excel password (trial version).
- Some will install interesting pictures and set your default browser homepage to some “one who can’t be named” website. You get the drift!
- Some (paid versions) will display 1,29+ hrs of computing time to crack the Excel password in case the password is not a simple dictionary word. (BTW dictionary word passwords can be easily cracked using a technique called “Dictionary attack”. Rest needs “Brute Force attack” technique)
Let’s learn how to remove password from Excel.
Enable display of file extension names (Unprotect Excel)
This will be required to change the file extension. Suppose, for example from Budget.xlsx to Budget.zip and back to Budget.xlsx.
[“Control Panel” – “Folder Options” – “View” tab – Uncheck “Hide Extension for known file type”]
Excel Vlookup formula – Guidebook
Bored of downloading text heavy / copy-pasted eBooks?
If Yes, you will enjoy this guidebook on ‘Excel Vlookup Formulas’ – VLOOKUP, HLOOKUP, MATCH & INDEX.
How to Remove Password from Excel Sheet without any Tools (Unprotect Excel)
to remove passwords from Excel Sheet with any tools, please watch the explanation video and follow the steps,
Change the extension of your Excel file from .xlsx to .zip
Open the zipped file and extract the relevant XML file from the zipped file
Extract these XML files outside the folder. They represent the worksheets in the Excel file. Modified codes using simple “Notepad”. The modified XML file should be put again in the zipped file to replace the old XML files.
Open the XML File & Delete Tags
Open the XML file in notepad and delete the following tags marked in double-quotes below
Excel v. 2007-10 – “sheetProtection password=… />” Excel v. 2013 – “sheetProtection algorithmName=…/>”
Save the XML file and put it back in the zipped folder. It will replace the original XML files.
Closed the zipped file and change the extension back to .xlsx (reverse of Step 2 above)
Enjoy the GLORY my friend 🙂 – The relevant sheets for which corresponding modified XML files will not ask for any Excel password anymore.
How to Remove Password from Excel Spreadsheet (Unprotect Excel)
One more way to unprotect Excel or remove password from Excel spreadsheet is using extensions, for that you should follow below steps,
- Step 1: Go to Control panel
- Step 2: Click on Folder Options
- Step 3: Open View Tab
- Step 4: Uncheck “Hide Extension for the known file type”
- Step 5: Select the excel file
- Step 6: Change the extension of your Excel file from .xlsx to .zip
- Step 7: Open Zip File & Extract
- Step 8: Open XML File & Delete Excel v. 2007-10 “sheetProtection password=… />” v. 2013 – “sheetProtection algorithmName=…/>”
- Step 9: Save & Close Xml File
- Step 10: Save Zip File & Run File
How to Remove Password from Excel File (Unprotect Excel)
There are two ways to remove password from Excel file; the one has stated above and the other one is as follows:
- Step 1: Open the worksheet you want to unprotect
- Step 2: Click on File > Info > Unprotect Sheet
- Step 3: Or go to Review Tab > Changes > Unprotect Sheet
- Step 4: If the worksheet asked the password for opening, enter the password and click
- Step 5: The worksheet will get opened.
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what to do…
if the zipped file is not open?
When opening the modified file, Excels says that it is corrupted and cannot open it.
this is to help thieves
Really Helpful. Thanks For the help
How could that happen? When properly renamed extension to ZIP and then back to XLSX (not XLSM) I open every unlocked Worksheet.