This article will show you how to recover an excel password to unlock a workbook or worksheet. Let me preface this article by saying that this will not help you recover lost data, or gain access to protected data that you otherwise wouldn’t have access to. What it will do is allow you to unlock a password protected worksheet in Excel, for instance, if you have forgot your excel password, so that you can edit it as necessary. Simply put, if you don’t already have access to the worksheet, this macro will not help you.
Step 1 Install and launch Passper for Excel Password Unlocker tool. Select the 'Remove Restrictions' on the main menu. Step 2 Click on 'Select a File' to add the Excel worksheet you want to remove restrictions. Step 3 Click on 'Remove' and the restrictions password will be removed within seconds. Open Excel and then press Alt+F11 to open Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications. Now on the menu bar, click on Tools menu and then in the drop-down menu click on Options. Now in the Options window, click on the General tab and uncheck the option “ Compile on Demand ” and press Ok. Uncheck Compile on Demand.
Before we learn how to recover a protected excel sheet password, let’s figure out why people password protect worksheets to begin with. By protecting a worksheet and the contents of locked cells, users can keep themselves or other users from:
If you can’t remember or recover the password, the Excel data might become inaccessible. At this situation, the freeware Excel Password Remover comes in handy. It’s a Microsoft Office Excel Add-In that removes and cracks the Excel workbooks and worksheets password protection, and thus enable you to regain access to the Excel data. Open the password-protected Excel and open the VBA editor with the shortcut 'Alt+F11'. Right-click the Excel file in the Project-VBAProject pane, select 'Insert', and then click the 'Module' option. Download eSoftTools Excel Password Unlocker Software and decrypt encrypted Excel (.xls.xlsx.xlsb.xlsm.xla.xlam.xltm) file password. With this application you can also recover Word file password and Access file password with all supported versions up to 2019 and Windows versions up to 10 (32-bit, & 64-bit).
- Accidentally (or intentionally) removing formulas, or other contents of locked cells
- Adding or deleting rows and columns
- Changing cell, column or row formats
- Sorting data
- Using AutoFilter or PivotTable reports
- Editing objects or scenarios
Protecting a worksheet will not keep users from
- Editing any unlocked cells in the worksheet
- Viewing all data in the worksheet, regardless of if it is in a locked cell or not
- Hacking excel passwords / Cracking excel passwords. Excel is not ‘secure’.
Being able to unlock a password protected worksheet is useful, when
- You have forgotten the password on your own worksheet (forgotten excel passwords)
- A co-worker, or other user has password protected a worksheet that you now need to edit, and they are not available to unlock the sheet for you
- You have a need to perform an analysis of the data in a password protected worksheet, but are unable to do so due to the locked cells
- You would like to sort/filter the data in a password protected worksheet, or create a PivotTable report from the data
- Need to recover an excel password
Since Microsoft Excel is not a “secure” program, it is very easy to unlock the password of a password protected worksheet. This is because there are several different combinations of passwords that Excel will accept to unlock the worksheet. For example, a worksheet with the password “treehouse”, can also be unlocked with the password “AAAABAABBBB/”. The opposite is also true (i.e. protecting with the password “AAAABAABBBB/” can be unlocked with the password “treehouse”). Go ahead; try locking a worksheet with the password treehouse, and use AAAABAABBBB/ to unlock it.
The macro code below will “unlock” one worksheet at a time, using the method used above. It won’t provide you with the actual password someone typed in, but rather a random sequence of letters or symbols that will work to unlock the worksheet. It should not be used as an excel password hack or for breaking an excel password.
Recover excel password
Step 1 – Open the worksheet in Excel where you have forgotten your excel password. This is so we can try to recover protected excel sheet password with VBA.
Step 2 – Open the VBA Editor (ALT + F11) – see our guide How to open Excel VBA Editor if you are unfamiliar with how to do this.
Step 3 – Insert a new module and use the VBA code below to find your forgot excel password.
Sub PasswordRecovery()
'
'MACROS BY EXCELZOOM.COM
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
Step 4 – Run the VBA code (F5) to recover excel password. You will receive a pop-up like the below to recover the excel sheet password.
Microsoft Forgot Username
It is worth noting that Microsoft is quite clear on its stance that you need to remember or make a note of passwords when protecting a workbook or worksheet and will not offer help in order to recover a lost excel password. See the MS protect a workbook page. So Microsoft cannot help if you have forgotten your excel password or need help recovering a password to open a workbook or worksheet (and probably rightly so!). We notice there is plenty of software available online to help unlock a password protected worksheet in Excel (for all versions of excel) however we like the VBA code noted above as a first option and haven’t tried and tested all third party applications enough to feel comfortable recommending on here.
* Update – Since this code is widely available online I have unrestricted it from our members area to make it available to all. I hope this helps as we all know how frustrating it can be when you are unable to access a worksheet that you need due to a password protected excel forgot password issue at work or at home. This should not be used to crack an excel protected sheet or break into worksheet you should not have access to. It is however, one useful method to unlock an excel password protected excel sheet.
Happy Excelling! And remember, try not to forget that excel worksheet password in the first place if possible! :-)
Forgot excel workbook password? That is so annoyed. But if you want to solve this problem, you should know clearly which kind of password you have forgotten on Excel workbook. For example, excel workbook open password, modify password and structure protection password are three kinds of passwords that are usually used to protect excel workbook. Probably you have forgotten one of them or all of them. So now this article will talk about what we can do if forgot all kinds of excel workbook 2007-2016 password.
Case 1: Forgot Excel Workbook Password to Open | How to Recover
![Forgot Forgot](https://passper.imyfone.com/images/excel/positive-feedback-on-trustpilot.jpg)
When you open an excel workbook, if a dialog pops up and asks you for a password to unprotect workbook, the password you need to enter is called open password. Once excel workbook open password forgot, you would lose access to excel workbook or excel file unless you can recover or remove forgotten excel password.
Note: Surely you can try several possible passwords you ever use to check whether they are excel open password. But I think the most effective way still should be excel workbook password recovery or remove.
Method 1: Excel workbook password remove
If your excel workbook is xls file, iSunshare Excel Password Remover would be the best choice for you to instantly remove forgotten open password from excel workbook.
Method 2: Excel workbook password recovery
If excel workbook is saved as xls/xlsx file, iSunshare Excel Password Genius is recommended for you now because of its high efficiency, usability and safety.
It provides a trial version for users to have a free try, and with it, people can recover excel password not longer than 3 characters. When this version is not available for your excel workbook, please choose full version that can make excel password recovery successful with 100% guarantee.
Simple steps for excel workbook open password recovery
Step 1: Choose appropriate Excel Password Genius version and install it on computer.
Step 2: Click Open button, browse Excel workbook in computer and add it into Encrypted File box.
Step 3: In Type of recovery drop-down list, choose one password recovery type, and make detailed settings.
Generally, Brute-force and Mask are selected often. If you have no idea, Brute-force is suggested. About how to make detailed settings for every password recovery type you choose, please follow the article.
Step 4: Click on Start button to run password recovery program and recover excel file open password.
Forgot Password Microsoft Excel File
After excel open password is recovered, just copy it to open your password-forgotten excel workbook. Then you can reset a new excel workbook open password or remove excel workbook password.
Case 2: Forgot Excel Workbook Password to Modify | How to Remove
![Forgot microsoft excel password Forgot microsoft excel password](/uploads/1/3/7/2/137276357/859919693.jpg)
Forgot excel workbook modify password and cannot edit workbook and worksheet? How to do?
1. If only workbook modify password is forgotten, then everyone could easily remove it when workbook is open.
2. But if you forgot both open and modify password on excel workbook, probably that would be a little difficult for you, because you have to find forgotten password to open excel workbook at first and then you could remove forgotten modify password.
About how to recover excel workbook forgotten open password, please see method 2 in case 1. Now let's just see how to remove modify password when you could open excel workbook.
Tips: While you open excel workbook, besides open password, modify password is also asked. At this moment, just click 'Read Only' button instead of entering modify password. And workbook would be opened in read-only mode. (Eg. Excel 2010)
Step 1: Select FileSave as in Excel and open a Save as dialog.
Step 2: In Save as dialog, click Tools next to 'Save' button, and select General Options.
Step 3: Clear passwords that appear in box 'Password to open' and 'Password to modify'. And uncheck 'Read only recommended' if it is selected. Click OK.
Step 4: Make sure File name different from the name of opening excel workbook. Then click 'Save' button to save it as new excel workbook which is unprotected with open and modify password.
Case 3: Forgot Excel Workbook Structure Password | How to Unprotect
Password also could protect excel workbook structure. And it would be required if you want to adjust workbook window, rename worksheet, or remove sheet etc. When you know the workbook structure password, surely it is easy to remove the protection on workbook. But if you forgot it, I think you just could view the contents on workbook, unless forgotten workbook structure password comes to your mind suddenly or you find a utility that can unprotect excel workbook.
So now I just could tell you how to remove workbook structure password protection when you know the password.
Steps to remove password protection from excel workbook structure:
Step 1: Open Excel Workbook in Excel 2010.
1. Double click the excel workbook you want to unprotect workbook structure. If there is a dialog pops up, please enter workbook open password and click OK or press Enter.
If excel workbook open password forgot, recover it with method introduced in Case 1 first.
2. Then if there is another dialog to ask password for write access, it means workbook is also protected with modify password. Just enter it if you know, or click 'Read Only' when you forgot excel workbook modify password, in order to open excel workbook succesfully.
Step 2: Remove Workbook structure password protection.
Click Protect Workbook under Review tab, and type password in dialog box, click OK to remove protection.
Note: If you find excel worksheet is also protected, you would be required to unprotect worksheet at first, and then you can unprotect workbook structure. Click Unprotect Sheet under Review tab, and type password you have set to unprotect excel sheet if necessary.
At last, please press Ctrl + S to save the workbook. Now you have solved excel workbook password forgot problem in Excel 2007/2010/2013/2016.
I Forgot My Excel Worksheet Password
Tips: If you feel above method is a little difficult when you forgot excel workbook password to modify or you cannot unprotect excel workbook structure because of password forgot, please think about iSunshare Workbook Unprotect Genius, which could help you to simplify it and unprotect excel workbook structure without password.
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