Excel Workbooks are widely used in our daily lives because of their ability to store data, calculate and analyze numerical data. When you have confidential work to do on your Excel Workbook, you probably password protect your workbook, which means nobody can access your data without a password. However, forgetting passwords could be a headache for users. Once you forget your password, you can’t access your data unless you remove the password.
Removing a password from an Excel Workbook is a simple process. There are several methods to remove the password. This post will discuss the methods for removing passwords, and what to do if the methods don’t work.
Video Tutorial:
Why You Need to Remove Password on Excel Workbook
Removing the password from an Excel Workbook is necessary if you forget the password. Passwords are great for protecting data, but they can cause inconvenience when you can’t remember them. Besides, removing a password provides you with unlimited access to your data without the need to enter the password every time you want to open your Excel Workbook.
Method 1: Remove Password via Save As Option
Removing a password from an Excel Workbook requires saving it as a different file. Here are the steps to remove the password through the ‘Save As’ Option:
1. Open the password-protected Excel Workbook.
2. Click on the ‘File’ menu.
3. Select ‘Save As.’
4. Choose a new file location and name for the Workbook.
5. In the ‘Save As’ dialog box, click on the ‘Tools’ drop-down menu.
6. Select ‘General Options.’
7. In the ‘General Options’ dialog box, clear the ‘Password to open’ field and click ‘OK.’
8. Click ‘Save.’
Pros:
– Ease of use
– No need to download extra software
Cons:
– May not work if the Workbook is encrypted with a third-party application
Method 2: Remove Password via Modify File Extension
Sometimes, changing the Excel Workbook file extension could help you get rid of the password. Here are the steps to remove the password via file extension modification:
1. Open the folder containing the password-protected Excel Workbook.
2. Click on the ‘View’ menu.
3. Tick the ‘File name extensions’ check box.
4. Change the Excel Workbook file extension from .xlsx to .zip.
5. Open the Excel Workbook’s zip folder and navigate to the ‘xl’ folder.
6. Locate the ‘workbook.xml’ file and open it with a text editor.
7. Delete all the lines that are related to the password.
8. Save and close the ‘workbook.xml’ file, and rename the Excel Workbook file extension back to .xlsx.
Pros:
– Ease of use
– No need to download extra software
Cons:
– May not work if the Workbook is encrypted with a third-party application
– May not work if the Workbook is corrupted
Method 3: Remove Password via VBA Code
Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is a programming language that can be used to automate various tasks in Excel. Here is a VBA code that could help to remove the password:
1. Open the password-protected Excel Workbook.
2. Press Alt+F11 to open the Visual Basic Editor.
3. In the left pane, double-click the ‘ThisWorkbook’ module.
4. Copy and paste the following code into the module:
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 "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
5. Press F5 to run the code.
6. The password should be automatically generated and displayed in a message box.
7. Use the password to unlock the Excel Workbook.
Pros:
– Works well with most password-protected Excel Workbooks.
Cons:
– Complicated if you are not familiar with VBA codes
– May not work if the Workbook is encrypted with a third-party application
What to Do If You Can’t Remove Password
If you can’t successfully remove the password with any of the above methods, here are some fixes you can try:
– Check if you are using the correct password.
– Uninstall any third-party add-ins or applications that might interfere with Workbook encryption.
– Check if the Excel Workbook file is corrupted and needs repair.
Bonus Tip: Create a Password-free Excel Workbook
If you don’t want to use password protection on your Excel Workbook, here is a quick way to create a password-free Workbook:
1. Open a new Excel Workbook.
2. Click on ‘File’ menu.
3. Select ‘Options.’
4. In the Excel Options dialog box, click on ‘Trust Center.’
5. Click on ‘Trust Center Settings.’
6. Select ‘Macro Settings.’
7. Choose ‘Disable all macros without notification’, and click on OK.
8. Click on ‘File’ and select ‘Save as.’
9. Choose a location and name for the file, and save the file as a .xlsx file.
5 FAQs on Removing Password on Excel Workbook
Q: Can I remove a password from an Excel Workbook on a Mac?
A: Yes, the steps are essentially the same as for Windows.
Q: What should I do if I forget my Excel password and the VBA code method doesn’t work?
A: There are some third-party applications you can use to recover your password, such as Passper for Excel.
Q: Does removing an Excel Workbook password delete the data?
A: No, removing a password from an Excel Workbook does not delete the data. It only removes password protection from the data.
Q: Can I remove a password from an Excel Workbook without saving it as a new file?
A: No, you have to use ‘Save As’ method to remove the password.
Q: How can I protect the Excel Workbook if I remove the password?
A: You can use Excel’s built-in encryption features or third-party applications to encrypt the workbook.
Final Thoughts
Removing a password from an Excel Workbook requires simple steps, but solving issues might be complicated if the Workbook is encrypted by third-party programs or corrupted. If you can’t remove the password, the best solution is to use third-party software to recover passwords. Keep in mind that removing a password from an Excel Workbook means that anyone can access the data without restriction. Therefore, consider using an encryption method before sending a protected Excel Workbook to others.