How to Unprotect Excel Sheet If Forgot Password (4 Effective Methods)

We will use the following dataset that contains several different food types and their average price. Many commands under the Home tab are not available as the worksheet is password-protected.

If we try to make any changes to the worksheet, a message box like the following image will appear. It warns that the worksheet is protected.

Method 1 – Unprotect Excel Sheet with VBA for a Forgotten Password

This method works in Microsoft Excel 2010 or earlier versions. When using newer Excel versions, the file needs to be in the Excel 97-2003 workbook (*.xls) format.

STEPS:

• Go to the Developer tab.
• Select the option Visual Basic.

• This will open the Visual Basic window.
• Right-click on the sheet name. Select Insert and choose Module.

• A blank VBA code window will appear.
• Insert the following VBA code in that blank code window:

Sub Unprotect_Sheet_If_Password_Forgotten()
Dim a As Integer, b As Integer, c As Integer
Dim x As Integer, y As Integer, z As Integer
Dim z1 As Integer, z2 As Integer, z3 As Integer
Dim z4 As Integer, z5 As Integer, z6 As Integer
On Error Resume Next
For a = 65 To 66: For b = 65 To 66: For c = 65 To 66
For x = 65 To 66: For y = 65 To 66: For z1 = 65 To 66
For z2 = 65 To 66: For z3 = 65 To 66: For z4 = 65 To 66
For z5 = 65 To 66: For z6 = 65 To 66: For z = 32 To 126
ActiveSheet.Unprotect Chr(a) & Chr(b) & Chr(c) & _
Chr(x) & Chr(y) & Chr(z1) & Chr(z2) & Chr(z3) & _
Chr(z4) & Chr(z5) & Chr(z6) & Chr(z)
If ActiveSheet.ProtectContents = False Then
MsgBox "The Password is " & Chr(a) & Chr(b) & _
Chr(c) & Chr(x) & Chr(y) & Chr(z1) & Chr(z2) & _
Chr(z3) & Chr(z4) & Chr(z5) & Chr(z6) & Chr(z)
Exit Sub
End If
Next: Next: Next: Next: Next: Next
Next: Next: Next: Next: Next: Next
End Sub

• Click on the Run button or press the F5 key to run the code.

• A message box like the following image appears. This message box contains a fake password. We do not need to copy or remember the password. Press OK.

• The worksheet is unprotected and we will be able to edit the values.

Note: If a workbook contains several protected sheets, run the VBA code for each sheet separately.

Method 2 – Use the Zip Option to Unprotect an Excel Sheet without Password

Steps:

• Go to the Control Panel, choose Appearance and Personalization, and select File Explorer Options.

• This opens a dialog box named File Explorer Options.
• Go to the View tab.
• Check the option Hide extensions for known file types and click on Apply.

• Change the extension of the .xlsx file in the .zip file using the rename option.

• A warning message will appear. Select Yes to go ahead.

• The file is zipped.

• Right-click on the .zip file and select Extract All.

• Open the folder named xl.

• Open the folder named worksheets.

• Select and right-click on sheet1.xml. Open that file with Notepad.

• Press Ctrl + F to open the Find dialog.
• Type the text protection in the Find what text field and click on Find Next.

• The above command will highlight the term protection.
• Delete the entire line including the term protection inside the <> symbol. Here’s what the line looks in the sample file.

• zip the files again.
• Change the extension from .zip to .xlsx.

• A warning message will appear. Select Yes to proceed.

• Open the .xlsx file in Excel.
• We can edit the new file like the following image.

Method 3 – Unprotect an Excel Sheet Using Google Sheets If Anyone Forgot the Password

Steps:

• Open a blank spreadsheet in Google Sheets.
• Go to the File tab and select the option Import.

• Go to the Upload option and drag the protected Excel workbook into the box.

• A new dialog box appears. Click on the option Import data.

• We can see the data of the protected Excel sheet in Google Sheets. We can make changes in the data of Google Sheets.

• Go to the File tab.
• Download the file in Microsoft Excel (.xlsx) format.

• The Excel file gets unprotected. We can edit the file now like the following image.

Method 4 – Copy the Contents of Protected Sheet to Another When the Password Is Forgotten

Steps:

• Open the password-protected sheet.
• Press Shift + Ctrl + End or click on the triangle icon at the bottom left corner to select all used cells.
• Press Ctrl + C to copy the cells.

• Open a new Excel sheet and select cell A1.

• Press Ctrl + V.
• We can see the following file is unprotected.

Note: You can use this method if the protected sheet allows you to select locked cells.

Download the Practice Workbook

Related Articles

• How to Unprotect Excel Sheet with Password
• How to Unprotect Excel Sheet Without Password
• How to Unlock Excel Sheet for Editing
• How to Unlock Grayed out Menus in Excel

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