Forgot Excel Password? Solutions Here!

It is a frustrating moment many of us have faced: a critical Excel spreadsheet is locked, and the password is gone from memory. Whether it is preventing you from opening a file, editing a sheet, or modifying a report, being locked out can bring your workflow to a halt. But don't worry. It's usually possible to go back in.

This guide will show you the exact steps to unlock your Excel file when you forgot Excel password. The right method depends entirely on the type if password you have forgotten, so let's start by figuring out which one you are dealing with.

Part 1. What Kind of Password is It?

Before you can fix the problem, you must correctly diagnose it. When you interact with the file, which of these situations do you encounter?

1. A password is required to open the file.

A small window pops up the moment you try to open the file, demanding a password just to view the contents. The file will not open at all without it. This is a "Password to Open."

2. A password is required to modify, or you can open it as Read-Only.

The file opens, but a prompt appears suggesting you open it in "Read Only" mode unless you have the password to modify it. You can see the data, but can't save changes to the same file. This is a "Password to Modify."

3. You can open the file but can't edit certain cells or sheets.

The file opens and you can view everything, but when you try to type in a cell or change a sheet's name, you get an error message. This is a "Protected Sheet" or "Protected Workbook."

Part 2. Recover a "Password to Open" an Encrypted File

If your file won't open at all without a password, you are facing a much more difficult challenge. Modern .xlsx files use strong AES-128 encryption, which cannot simply be removed. The only way in is to recover the original password.

The best way to recover the original password is to use an effective third-party password recovery software. TunesKit File Password Recovery is one of the best tool that allows users to recover Microsoft Excel/Word/PPT open password in a quick.

Step 1Select unlock method

After downloading and installing TunesKit File Password Recovery, open the software and select the Excel/Word/PPT option. Next, click the Recover Office Password icon.

Step 2Add target file with open password

Click the + icon or drag a file to the dotted box to add your target file. On the right, there are three recovery modes: Dictionary Attack, Combination Attack, and Brute Force Attack. You can choose one from them according to your situation. Click the Start Recover button to get the open password.

Step 3Get recovered password

If you have subscribed to the software, you will be shown the password directly.

Part 3. Remove a Protected Sheet or Workbook Password

This is the most common and, thankfully, the easiest problem to solve. Sheet and workbook protection is a weak barrier designed to prevent accidental edits, not a form of strong encryption. Here are three efficient ways to get rid of it.

Method 1. Remove Protected Password via TunesKit File Password Recovery

Apart from Office open password recovery, TunesKit File Password Recovery also have the "Remove Office Restriction" feature that can use to remove the read-only or password-protected status of office files to gain full editing access. Here is the way to use this useful feature.

Step 1Get TunesKit File Password Recovery

Download and install the TunesKit File Password Recovery on your computer. Open the software and select Excel/Word/PPT. After that, to remove password, you should click Remove Office Restriction.

Step 2Remove restriction from your Excel

Click the + icon or drag your Excel file to dotted box to add your read-only file to this tool. Click the Start Remove button to remove your Excel restriction and let you gain full editing access on your Excel.

Method 2. The 7-Zip/XML Edit Technique to Unprotect Your Sheet

This method sounds technical, but it's a straightforward process of editing the file's underlying code. It requires no special software besides a file archiver like 7-Zip or WinRAR.

Step 1: Create a backup copy of your Excel file. Never work on your only original.
Step 2: Rename your file by changing the extension from .xlsx to .zip. If you can't see the file extension, you may need to enable it in your Windows File Explorer or Mac Finder view options.
Step 3: Open the newly .zip file using your file archiver. Navigate inside the folder structure to xl > worksheets. You will see a list of files like sheet1.xml, sheet2.xml, etc.

Step 4: Identify the XML file for the sheet you need to unprotect. Drag it out of the zip archive onto your desktop and open it with a simple text editor like Notepad.
Step 5: Inside the text file, search (Ctrl + F) for the word protection. You will find a tag that looks like this: "< sheetProtection" to "/>".
Step 6: Carefully select and delete that entire tag, from "< sheetProtection" all the way to the closing "/>". Save and close the XML file.

Step 7: Drag the modified XML file from your desktop back into the zip archive's worksheets folder, choosing to overwrite the original when prompted.
Step 8: Close the archive and rename the file's extension from .zip back to .xlsx.

You can now open the Excel file, and the sheet protection will be gone.

Method 3: Use a Simple VBA Script to Unlock the Sheet

If editing XML isn't for you, a Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) script can do the work for you by rapidly cycling through password hashes.

Step 1: Open your locked Excel file and press Alt + F11 to open the VBS Editor.
Step 2: In the VBA Editor menu, go to Insert > Module. A new blank code window will appear.
Step 3: In the module window, copy and paste the following code:

Step 4: Press F5 to run the macro. It should unprotect the sheet almost instantly, and a confirmation message will pop up.

Part 4. Conclusion

Forgetting an Excel password can feel like a disaster, but as you've seen, you have options. For protecting sheets and workbooks, free and effective solutions are readily available.

For encrypted files, the path is more challenging but not impossible, especially if you remember parts of the password. TunesKit File Password Recovery will help you retrieve your password and remove the restriction on your Excel file quickly. By correctly diagnosing the problem and choosing the right tool, you can often regain control of your valuable data.