Unprotect Excel Sheet and Workbook: With or without Password

Excel Sheets are the best structural tools when it comes to organizing data in the form of a sequential sheet, Excel is the ace of it. Microsoft Excel is running since Windows 95, for more than 3 decades. Since 1987 the MS Excel is undoubtfully the best list and sheet organizer software.

Microsoft has worked alto on MS Excel. Over the years they are giving something new in MS Excel with every new version of Windows. Now it’s the time of Windows 11, where Microsoft has introduced tons of new features in MS Excel too. But today we are discussing a feature which is quite in trend from few time. MS Excel regular users already know about unprotect and protect on EXcel sheet. Where you can keep a lock on important data that you don’t want to appear in front of other eyes except yours.

There are many ways through which you unprotect an MS Excel Sheet or Workbook with or without a password. Today, we are going to guide you all ways of unprotecting MS Excel sheet and Workbook with and Without Password. Le’s start with the first and basic procedure.

Unprotect Excel sheet with or without password

Open the spreadsheet that you protected in the past. Now switch to the ‘Review’ tab and click the ‘Unprotect Sheet’ icon located at the top.

You can do the same operation from the protected spreadsheet tab, then select the ‘Unprotect Sheet’ option from the context menu.

If you already set a password on your worksheet, Excel will ask you to enter the password of your choice. Type the password in the dialog box and click on the ‘OK.

Now the Worksheet is not protected with a password. Just clicking on the ‘Unprotect Sheet’ option will be enough to unlock any Excel sheet.

How to Unprotect Excel Workbook with Password/No Password

You know what is the benfiit of password protecting the Excel Workbook. No changes without permissions, not just data but also the settings. Once we set password on our Excel workbook, We can’t change the structure of the workbook, such as add, move, rename, or delete worksheets, and view hidden sheets without the password. Basically it is useful when an admin only want to share limited data with others who are authorized to view the Workbook.

Open the protected workbook on which you want to remove the workbook protection. Click on the ‘Protect Workbook’ button under the Review tab.

Type the password in prompt box of Unprotect Workbook and save the workbook.

Now the user is free and Excel Workbook is uncaged. Do the editing, edition, subtractions whatever you want to do.

Unprotect Excel Worksheet with VBA Code

Even you set the password on the Microsoft Excel Worksheet, it doesn’t mean it’s unbreakable. Actually the Excel’s worksheet protection is based on a simple encryption algorithm not like the military grade or bank grade. Just a simple VBA Code Trick and break the password barreir on your Excel Worksheet. Thats how you unprotect an Excel Worksheet with VBA Code.

1. Open the sheet that is protected by password.

2. Go to the ‘Developer’ tab and click the ‘View Code’ button.

3. Window Code Editor will appear infront of you in Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications.

4. Go to the ‘Developer’ tab and visit the ‘Visual Basic’ button.

5. Expand the ‘Microsoft Excel Objects’ option present on the left pane. Now do the right-click the worksheet that is password-protected.

6. Select Insert and than Module from the context menu.

7. In the Code window of the protected sheet, copy and paste the following VBA code:

Sub PasswordBreaker()
Dim i As Integer, j As Integer, k As Integer
Dim l As Integer, m As Integer, n As Integer
Dim i1 As Integer, i2 As Integer, i3 As Integer
Dim i4 As Integer, i5 As Integer, i6 As Integer
On Error Resume Next
For i = 65 To 66: For j = 65 To 66: For k = 65 To 66
For l = 65 To 66: For m = 65 To 66: For i1 = 65 To 66
For i2 = 65 To 66: For i3 = 65 To 66: For i4 = 65 To 66
For i5 = 65 To 66: For i6 = 65 To 66: For n = 32 To 126
ActiveSheet.Unprotect Chr(i) & Chr(j) & Chr(k) & _
Chr(l) & Chr(m) & Chr(i1) & Chr(i2) & Chr(i3) & _
Chr(i4) & Chr(i5) & Chr(i6) & Chr(n)
If ActiveSheet.ProtectContents = False Then
MsgBox "One usable password is " & Chr(i) & Chr(j) & _
Chr(k) & Chr(l) & Chr(m) & Chr(i1) & Chr(i2) & _
Chr(i3) & Chr(i4) & Chr(i5) & Chr(i6) & Chr(n)
Exit Sub
End If
Next: Next: Next: Next: Next: Next
Next: Next: Next: Next: Next: Next
End Sub

8. Click the ‘Run’ button and select the ‘Run Sub/UserForm’ option Alternatively, you can just press ‘F5’ to execute the code.

9. Take screenshot or capture password picture. Click on the Ok option when you will ge the useable cracked password.