Excel is one of the most comprehensive applications of Microsoft Office. As with the previous versions, Excel 2019 also allows you to set up a so-called Sheet Protection. This allows you to protect a table against unauthorized access with a password that can contain letters, numbers, or certain special characters. You can choose whether you want to protect individual sheets or the entire file, and then decide how to remove a password from Excel again.
Until Excel 2016, there were even some tips in case you ever forgot your password. But before, only the protection of single pages of spreadsheets could be changed. If you want to learn how to remove the password from an Excel spreadsheet altogether, you need to access the data – especially if it is contained in a XLSX file. Then the password can be deleted quickly and easily.
The following tutorial is all about how you can remove the password protection from Excel and access your own tables (with appropriate access).
How to Remove a Password from Excel?
Unlike for example a Windows 10 folder, you don’t need any special software or add-ins for the best Excel password protection. All functions are already fully integrated into the menu of Excel 2019. Below are the individual steps you need to take if you want to know how to remove a password from Excel:
- Open the Excel spreadsheet whose password you want to remove. As you can see in the screenshot above, Excel will automatically prompt you to enter the password. Enter the appropriate combination. Only after confirming with Enter you will get access to the file and its contents.
- To remove the password protection of this Excel spreadsheet, click on File in the upper left corner of the main menu. You should then already be in the Information tab.
- On the Protect Workbook button, Excel offers you extensive options regarding the security of your data. If the file has password protection, this field should be highlighted in yellow. The item Encrypt with password is relevant for you.
- In the new window you can remove the password protection. To do this, simply delete the current password and accept the changes by clicking OK. That’s it. The table can now be opened without any problems.
Alternatively, you can set a new password in step 4, which will be valid for the whole file after confirmation. If you have a read-only section, proceed as follows:
How do I delete the Protection from a Spreadsheet?
To do this, you can close the Information menu if it is still open. In the standard view of an open Excel sheet, you can remove the password protection as follows:
- In the main menu, click on Review this time.
- Under the Changes section you will find the Protect Sheet and Protect Workbook buttons.
- Depending on the type of sheet protection you have, you remove the corresponding checkmarks or delete the associated password. You may have to enter the old password first.
- After that, you can even share your spreadsheets.
There is a lot in Office 2019 Standard that stays hidden at first glance. If you want to know for yourself, feel free to take a look at our current offer. The package includes the latest Excel version as well as Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, OneNote, Publisher, and Outlook. So you can protect all your documents or remove a password from Excel in no time. Never again will you have to hassle with unlicensed products.
