Click to choose or drop your Excel file
.xlsx, .xlsm, .xltx or .xltm — opened in your browser, never uploadedFor your own files only — for example a sheet you protected and whose password you forgot. A file that asks for a password to open is encrypted: this tool cannot open it.
About Unprotect Excel Sheet
You protected a sheet in Excel so nobody could change the formulas by mistake. Months later you need to change it — and the password is gone. Excel says *“The cell or chart you're trying to change is on a protected sheet”*, and Unprotect Sheet asks for a password you do not remember.
This tool takes that protection off. Choose your .xlsx or .xlsm file, and you get a copy with sheet protection and workbook structure protection removed. Every cell, formula, format, chart and macro stays exactly as it was.
Use it only for your own files, or files you are allowed to change. The file is opened in your browser and is never uploaded.
What it cannot do: open a file that asks for a password when you open it. Such a file is encrypted, and without the password nobody can read it. The tool recognises such a file and tells you.
Features
- Sheet protection — removed from every sheet and chart sheet at once
- Workbook structure protection — removed, so you can add, move, rename, hide and delete sheets again
- “Password to modify” — also removed if you want (ticked by default), together with the read-only advice
- Nothing else changes — every other part of the file is copied byte for byte
- Macros kept — .xlsm files keep their VBA code; templates (.xltx, .xltm) work too
- Clear report — which sheets were protected, and which had a password
- Encrypted files recognised — a file with a password to open is refused with a clear message
- Private — the file never leaves your device
Three kinds of Excel passwords
Excel has three different passwords. Only two of them are “protection”; the third is real encryption.
| Password | What it does | Can this tool remove it? |
|---|---|---|
| Protect Sheet (Review → Protect Sheet) | You can open and read the file, but not change locked cells | Yes |
| Protect Workbook (Review → Protect Workbook) | You cannot add, delete, move, rename or unhide sheets | Yes |
| Password to modify (Save As → Tools → General Options) | Excel asks for a password or offers “Read Only” | Yes, if the box is ticked |
| Password to open (File → Info → Encrypt with Password) | The whole file is encrypted; Excel cannot even show it without the password | No — nobody can, without the password |
Sheet protection was never meant as security. Its password does not encrypt anything — the cells are stored in the file as plain text. It is a lock against mistakes, not against people.
What happens inside the file
An .xlsx file is a ZIP folder full of small XML files: one for each sheet, one for the workbook, one for the styles, and so on.
- Sheet protection is one line in the sheet's file: <sheetProtection password="CC1A" sheet="1" … />. Newer Excel versions store a hash of the password there instead (hashValue="…"). Neither one is needed to open the file.
- Workbook protection is one line in workbook.xml: <workbookProtection lockStructure="1" … />.
- “Password to modify” is a <fileSharing … /> line in workbook.xml.
The tool opens the ZIP in your browser, finds those lines, cuts them out, and writes the ZIP again. Every other file in the ZIP — the cells, styles, charts, pictures and macros — is copied exactly, byte for byte. That is why the result opens in Excel with all your data, just without the lock.
Frequently asked questions
Is it legal to remove sheet protection?
It is your file and your data — removing the lock from your own sheet is like opening your own drawer when you lost the key. Use this tool only for your own files, or files you are allowed to change. Do not use it to get around a lock someone else put on their work.
Does it work if the file asks for a password to open?
No. A password to open encrypts the whole file. Without the password, the data cannot be read by anyone, and this tool does not try to guess passwords. The tool recognises such a file and says so.
Does it work with old .xls files?
No, only with .xlsx, .xlsm, .xltx and .xltm. Open the .xls file in Excel (sheet protection does not stop that), choose Save As → Excel Workbook (.xlsx), and then use the tool.
Will my formulas, formats and macros be kept?
Yes. Only the protection lines are removed. Everything else in the file is copied unchanged, including VBA macros in .xlsm files.
Does it remove the VBA project password?
No. A password on the macro code (the VBA editor) is a different thing. The tool leaves the macro part of the file exactly as it is.
Does it work with Google Sheets or LibreOffice files?
It works with any .xlsx file, also one saved by Google Sheets or LibreOffice. It does not open .ods files.
Is my file uploaded?
No. The file is read and rewritten in your browser. Nothing is sent to a server.
Related tools
- Unlock PDF — remove the password from a PDF you can open
- Excel to CSV Converter — save every sheet as CSV
- Merge Excel Files — join several workbooks or sheets into one
- Compare Two Excel Files — see what changed between two versions
- Fix CSV for Excel — fix a CSV that opens wrong in Excel
How to use it
- Choose your Excel file — drop it on the box or click to pick it. It must be your own file
- Read the report — it lists every sheet that was protected, and the workbook protection
- Leave the “password to modify” box ticked if you also want that removed
- Press Download — you get a copy named …-unprotected-AppAndTools.xlsx. Your original file is not changed
- Open the copy in Excel — all sheets can be edited again. Protect them again with a new password if you want
