Windows 11 · Windows
Remove an Excel Password You Know
Source-checked About 10 minutes
Answer
Identify whether the file, workbook, or sheet is protected, use the matching control with the current password, then save and verify a copy.
Identify the protection you intend to remove
Excel can require a password to open a file, protect workbook structure, or protect individual worksheets. These are different controls. Use this guide only for a workbook you may change and when you know the relevant current password. Duplicate the file first and keep the protected original until the new copy is verified.
Open the authorized workbook
Open the working copy in desktop Excel and enter the password when prompted. Confirm the workbook name, expected sheets, formulas, links, macros, and external data before changing protection. If the file opens read-only because of storage permissions or organizational policy, resolve that separate issue rather than guessing at passwords.
Use the matching protection control
For worksheet or workbook-structure protection, open the Review tab and choose Unprotect Sheet or Protect Workbook as appropriate, then enter the current password. For file-opening encryption, use the file information and password control documented by Microsoft. Do not assume one sheet password removes protection from every sheet.
Save a separate unprotected copy
After the intended control is removed, save under a new filename and location. Preserve the protected original and do not overwrite a shared workbook until the owner confirms the access change. Removing protection does not repair formulas, links, macros, or permissions, and it does not make third-party data safe to redistribute.
Close and verify the result
Exit Excel, reopen the new copy, and test the exact access that was changed: opening the file, modifying workbook structure, or editing the formerly protected sheet. Check formulas, named ranges, charts, macros, and external links for unexpected changes before handing off the file.
Troubleshoot an unknown or managed password
If Excel rejects the password, confirm the keyboard layout and which protection type the owner described. Microsoft does not recover forgotten Excel passwords. Sensitivity labels, rights management, shared-workbook permissions, and organization policies require their authorized owner or administrator; do not upload business data to an unknown cracking service.
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Sources and verification
Checked against official documentation on . Scope: Windows.
Follow the linked first-party guidance if labels differ after a platform or app update.