If you’ve ever encountered a protected Excel file, you’ll know how frustrating it can be when you don’t have the password. You could be trying to access a file that has important information you need, and the password could be lost, forgotten, or simply not available.
Luckily, there are several ways to unlock and open a protected Excel file, even if you don’t have the password or if macros are disabled. Below, we’ll outline some simple methods you can use to access protected Excel files.
Method 1: Remove Protection
The easiest way to open a protected Excel file is to remove the protection altogether. This method is effective if you have the password, but you can also use it if you don’t know the password.
- Open the Excel file and click on the “File” tab at the top left corner of the screen.
- Click on “Protect Workbook” on the drop-down menu and then select “Encrypt with Password”.
- Delete the password, then click “OK” to remove the encryption.
Now you can save the file under a new name and the protection will be removed.
Method 2: VBA Macro
This method involves using a VBA macro to unlock the Excel file. This method is useful when macros are disabled in Excel.
- Open a new Excel workbook and press “Alt + F11” to open the VBA editor.
- Select “Insert” and then click on “Module” to create a new module.
- Copy and paste this code into the module:
- Press F5 to run the macro and a usable password will be displayed.
- Use the password to open the protected Excel file.
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 "One usable 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
FAQ
1. I don’t know the password to my protected Excel file. What should I do?
If you don’t know the password to your protected Excel file, you can try removing the protection altogether using method 1 as described above. Alternatively, you can use the VBA macro method (method 2), but note that this is not always effective if the password is very complex.
2. How can I protect my Excel file to prevent others from opening it?
To protect your Excel file, you can go to the “File” tab at the top left corner of the screen, click on “Protect Workbook” and then select “Encrypt with Password”. This will prompt you to enter a password that must be entered before anyone can open the file. You can also protect individual sheets in the Excel file by going to the “Review” tab and clicking on “Protect Sheet”.
If you need to access a protected Excel file but don’t have the password, the above methods should be helpful in opening the file. It’s always important to protect your Excel files to prevent unauthorized access, but in cases where you need to access a file, it’s useful to know how to unlock it. For more information and visual instructions, check out the video tutorial below: