How to Unprotect Sheet in Excel

Microsoft Excel is a powerful tool that helps simplify your work by providing a user-friendly interface and fantastic features. One of such features is the ability to protect your worksheets from unwanted changes by applying a password. However, there are times when you might need to make changes to protected sheets or work with protected cells. In such cases, you need to unprotect the sheet. Here’s how to unprotect a sheet in Excel quickly and easily.

Why You Might Want To Unprotect A Sheet

Protecting your worksheet can be a great way to ensure that important data isn’t accidentally changed or deleted. However, there are times when you will need to make changes to the protected cells. For example, you might have created a workbook with some locked cells and shared it with a colleague. If your colleague needs to make changes to the locked cells, they will need to unprotect the sheet. Here’s how to do it quickly and easily.

Step-by-Step Guide: How to Unprotect a Sheet in Excel

Step 1: Open the protected workbook

The first step is to open the workbook. You won’t be able to unprotect the sheet until you’ve opened it.

Step 2: Click on the ‘Review’ tab

You’ll find the ‘Review’ tab on the Excel ribbon at the top of the screen. Click on it to reveal the Review tab commands.

Step 3: Click on ‘Unprotect Sheet’

On the Review tab, you’ll see a group of commands related to ‘Changes’. Look for the ‘Unprotect Sheet’ command and click on it. This will bring up the ‘Unprotect Sheet’ dialog box.

Step 4: Enter the password (if required)

If the sheet was protected with a password, you’ll need to enter it now to proceed. If the sheet wasn’t password protected, you can skip this step.

Step 5: Make changes to your sheet

Now that the sheet is unprotected, you can make any changes you need to the cells or other elements of the sheet. You can edit, move, or delete cells. And when you’re done, you can protect the sheet again by following the same steps as above.

A Word of Caution

Unprotecting a sheet can be a great way to make quick changes to your worksheet. However, it’s important to remember that anyone can make changes to the sheet once it’s unprotected. So if you’re sharing an unprotected sheet with others, be sure to exercise caution and keep a backup copy of the original protected worksheet in case of accidental or malicious errors.

How to Protect a Sheet in Excel

Before we wrap up, it’s important to know how to protect a sheet in Microsoft Excel. That’s because to unprotect a sheet you must first know the password unless the sheet to be unprotected is unprotected. Here’s how to protect a sheet in Excel:

Step 1: Click on the ‘Review’ tab

On the Excel ribbon, Click on the ‘Review’ tab. This tab is used to protect, unprotect workbook or sheet, make workbook or sheet shared among other things.

Step 2: Click on ‘Protect Sheet’

On the Review tab, find the ‘Protect Sheet’ command and click on it. You will find the ‘Protect Sheet’ dialog box that provides various options for protecting the sheet.

Step 3: Enter your password and confirmation password

Enter a password if you want to add one for the sheet protection. This will help ensure that only authorized people make changes to your sheet, be sure to remember this password and keep it safe

Step 4: Choose other protection options (optional)

The ‘Protect Sheet’ dialog box has more options which include but not restricted to:

• Whether you allow users to select locked or unlocked cells.
• Whether you allow users to sort data.
• Whether you allow users to use Autofilter or PivotTable and PivotChart reports.
• Whether you allow the formatting cells.
• Whether you allow the insertion or deletion of rows or columns

Step 5: Click ‘OK’ to confirm

After setting the desired protection options and entered your password, Click ‘OK’ to protect your worksheet. And the worksheet is now protected.

Protecting a worksheet in Microsoft Excel can help prevent accidental or unwanted changes. However, there may be times when you need to unprotect a worksheet to make necessary changes. The process is simple, as outlined above. Remember to exercise caution when working with unprotected sheets and keep backup copies of important worksheets, especially if they contain confidential information.

FAQs

Here are some frequently asked questions related to unprotecting and protecting sheets in Microsoft Excel:

What is the difference between protecting and hiding a sheet in Excel?

Protecting a sheet in Excel means that users cannot make changes to certain cells or elements on the worksheet without a password. Hiding a sheet, on the other hand, means that users cannot see the sheet unless it is made visible.

Can I unprotect a sheet without a password?

If the sheet was not protected with a password, you can unprotect it by simply clicking on the ‘Unprotect Sheet’ command on the Review tab. However, if the sheet was protected with a password, you will need to enter the correct password to unprotect it.

What happens if I forget the password to a protected sheet?

If you forget the password to a protected sheet, you will not be able to unprotect it. Unfortunately, there is no easy way to recover a forgotten password. The best course of action is to keep a backup copy of the original protected worksheet somewhere safe.

How do I unprotect multiple sheets at once in a workbook?

You can unprotect multiple sheets at once in a workbook by using VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) code. However, this requires knowledge of programming and is not recommended for casual Excel users. It’s best to unprotect each sheet individually.

Can I protect a sheet on a shared workbook?

Yes, you can protect a sheet on a shared workbook. When you protect a sheet on a shared workbook, other users will be able to access and edit the worksheet as long as they have permission to do so. However, they will not be able to make changes to the protected cells unless they have the password.