Have you ever wanted to share a confidential Excel document with your colleagues or family but feared that they might make unwanted changes to the file? If yes, then learning how to put a password on an Excel spreadsheet is essential. Password protection ensures that only authorized individuals can access the document, and malicious activities are prevented. This feature is a lifesaver in various scenarios, such as financial modeling, medical databases, and private data collection.
It isn’t rocket science to add passwords to your Excel documents, even if you are not a tech-savvy individual. In this blog post, we will take you through four different methods that can teach you how to put a password on an Excel spreadsheet. So, let’s get started!
Video Tutorial:
The Challenge of Putting a Password on an Excel Spreadsheet
While putting a password on an Excel spreadsheet is easy, forgetting it, however, is not. If you have set a password and have lost track of it, it can become quite a challenge to retrieve it. Therefore, it is wise to avoid passwords that you might forget.
Also, adding a password can sometimes slow down the opening process of your Excel document. Although the time difference may not be significant, if you have a large file, the password opening time may add up. So, keep this in mind before you add password protection to your document.
Things You Should Prepare for
Before we dive into the details of adding a password to your Excel spreadsheet, you must prepare a few things. Firstly, open the Excel document that you want to add the password to. Secondly, create a backup copy of the file, which you can use to retrieve the original copy if you forget the password. Lastly, you should have the admin rights to add a password to the Excel document.
Method 1: Password Protection
If you are using Excel 2013 or lower, you can add a simple password to your Excel document by following these steps:
1. Open the Excel document you want to password-protect.
2. Click on ‘File’
3. Click on ‘Info’ and then on ‘Protect Workbook’
4. Click on ‘Encrypt with Password’ and enter your desired password. Click ‘OK’.
5. Re-enter the password and click ‘OK’.
And that’s it! Your Excel document is now password-protected. Whenever you want to open the file, it will prompt you to enter the password that you have set.
Pros:
– This method is easy to use and can be quickly added to your Excel document.
– It is available in all Excel versions, making it accessible to most users.
Cons:
– The password you add using this method is not very secure and can be easily breached by advanced Excel users or hackers.
– It can slow down the opening process of very large Excel files.
Method 2: 7-Zip
7-Zip is a free archiver that you can use to password-protect your Excel documents. Follow these steps to add a password to your Excel sheet using 7-Zip:
1. Download and install 7-Zip from their website.
2. Right-click on the Excel sheet you want to password-protect and click on ‘7-Zip’
3. Click on ‘Add to Archive’
4. In the ‘Archive name’ section, enter the name of your encrypted Excel sheet
5. Select ‘zip’ from the ‘Archive format’ dropdown list.
6. In the ‘Encryption’ section, enter your desired password and click ‘OK’.
7. Click on ‘OK’.
And you’re done! Your Excel document is now encrypted with a password.
Pros:
– 7-Zip is a free archiver that you can use to secure your Excel documents without paying for any software.
– You can create a self-extracting archive that does not require you to have 7-Zip software installed on your system.
Cons:
– This method is not available on Mac OS X.
– If you forget the password, you will not be able to retrieve your Excel document.
Method 3: Excel Macro
Excel Macro is a nifty feature that you can use to add a password to your Excel document. Here’s how:
1. Open the Excel document that you want to add a password to.
2. Press the ‘Alt’ and ‘F11’ keys at the same time.
3. A VBA window will appear. Click on ‘Insert’ and then on ‘Module’.
4. Paste the following code in the blank module:
Sub PasswordMacro()
Dim Password As String
Password = InputBox("Enter Password")
If Password = "" Then Exit Sub
ActiveWorkbook.Password = Password
End Sub
5. Save the Macro and close the VBA window.
6. Click on ‘File’ and then on ‘Options’.
7. Click on ‘Customize Ribbon’ and make sure the ‘Developer’ tab is selected in the right-hand pane. Then click ‘OK’.
8. Click on the ‘Developer’ tab and click on ‘Macros’.
9. Select the Macro you created and click on ‘Run’.
10. Enter the password you want to use to password-protect your Excel sheet.
Done! Your Excel sheet is now password-protected.
Pros:
– This method is very secure, and advanced Excel users will not easily be able to breach the password protection.
– You can use this method in all Excel versions.
Cons:
– This method requires some technical knowledge to implement, making it difficult for non-technical individuals.
– If you forget the password, it can be challenging to retrieve your Excel sheet.
Method 4: iSunshare Excel Password Genius
If you want to password-protect your Excel sheet with advanced encryption, use iSunshare Excel Password Genius. Here’s how:
1. Download and Install iSunshare Excel Password Genius on your system.
2. Open the iSunshare Excel Password Genius software.
3. Click ‘Open’ and Select the Excel document you want to password-protect.
4. Select the type of attack you want to use: Brute-force, Mask, or Dictionary.
5. In the ‘Range’ section, you can specify the character set, maximum and minimum password length.
6. Click ‘Start’ and wait for the software to crack the password.
Once the password is cracked, the iSunshare Excel Password Genius software will show the password to access the Excel sheet.
Pros:
– iSunshare Excel Password Genius uses advanced encryption to password-protect your Excel sheet, making it very secure.
– The software has the option to use a dictionary to crack the password, which can save you time.
Cons:
– This software is not free and requires you to pay before you can access advanced features.
– The cracking process may be time-consuming, especially for long passwords.
Why Can’t I Put a Password on My Excel Spreadsheet?
There are several reasons why you may not be able to add a password to an Excel spreadsheet. Here are some reasons and their fixes:
1. The Excel sheet is currently in use.
Fix: Make sure that all users are out of the Excel sheet before you try to add a password.
2. Your system does not have admin rights.
Fix: Contact your IT department and request admin rights.
3. Your Excel sheet has been password-protected already.
Fix: Try to remember the password or see if you have a backup copy of the file where you can make changes.
Additional Tips
Here are some additional tips that can help you to use password protection more efficiently:
1. Always remember to backup your original Excel sheet before you password-protect it.
2. Make sure that the password you use is strong and secure. Create a unique password that you can remember.
3. Keep a copy of the password in a safe place that only you have access to.
5 FAQs
Q: Can I remove the password from my Excel sheet if I no longer need to password-protect it?
A: Yes, you can remove the password by going to ‘File’ > ‘Info’ > ‘Protect Workbook’ > ‘Encrypt with password.’ Then delete the current password and click ‘OK.’
Q: What is the difference between a password-protected Excel sheet and a password-protected Excel document?
A: Password-protected Excel sheet means that one Excel sheet in the Excel document is password-protected, while password-protected Excel document means that the entire Excel document is password-protected.
Q: Can I use a password to protect my Excel sheet in read-only mode?
A: Yes, you can add a password to your Excel sheet to protect it in read-only mode.
Q: Can I open a password-protected Excel sheet on a different computer?
A: Yes, you can open a password-protected Excel sheet on a different computer as long as you remember the password.
Q: Can I add a password to my Excel sheet without writing a code?
A: Yes, you can add a password to your Excel sheet by following the steps in Method 1 mentioned above.
Conclusion
Password protection is an essential feature that you can add to your Excel sheet to keep it secure from unwanted access. There are several ways to add a password to your Excel sheet, such as using the built-in Excel feature, 7-Zip, Excel Macro, and iSunshare Excel Password Genius. Each method has its pros and cons, so choose the one that best suits your requirements. Remember to keep a backup of your Excel sheet and keep your password safe to avoid any inconvenience.