How to protect an Excel file with a password

Quite often there is a situation in which you don’t want other users to modify the data stored in your Excel file. It can either be because the data is confidential, or the fact that you simply do not want anyone to access or modify. In such cases, you can protect Excel files with password.

Protecting Excel files is a very simple task. There are multiple ways in which you can you do this – you can either use the built-in options provided in Excel, or you can you use the file security options in File Explorer.

How to protect Excel file with password

There are several options available to you to protect your Excel file with a password.

Remember that once you protect the Excel file, you cannot open it without entering the password. Make sure you remember the password and store it in a safe place as a backup.

Method 1: Using Excel

• Open the Excel file you want to protect with a password.
  
• Click on File -> Info.
  
• Now select Protect Workbook.
  
• Select Encrypt with Password from the list.
  
• Now enter the password.
  
• Confirm it once more and click OK.
  

Method 2: Using File Explorer

You can also use File Explorer to protect your Excel file. If you are saving the Excel file for the first time, follow these steps:

• Click on File -> Save As.
  
• Now, select Browse. This will open the File Explorer and ask you to enter the file name.
  
• Enter the name and click on “Tools” next to the Save button.
  
• Now select “General options”. This will open a dialog box, enter the password here.
  
• You can set two different passwords for opening and reading the Excel file.
  
• Confirm the password and click OK.
  
• Click Save.
  

If you are opening an Excel file that has been saved before, you can still protect it with a password by following the first method.

If you want to restrict users from editing your Excel file, you can choose to open it in read-only mode. Users will be given an option to either open the file in read-only mode, or in edit mode if they want to. Follow these steps:

• Open the Excel file you want to protect with a password.
  
• Click on File -> Info.
  
• Now select Always Open Read-Only.
  

See also:

How to make a pie chart from your spreadsheet data in Microsoft Excel in 5 easy steps

How to search for terms or values in an Excel spreadsheet, and use Find and Replace