How To Password Protect Excel

When you're using a desktop, you certainly have some Microsoft Excel documents on your Mac or PC that you don't want anyone to locate and read. Then again, Excel not only helps with your personal data, but also corporations, government entities, and billions of institutions throughout the world.

Whether you're making charts, generating PDFs, or simply entering rows upon rows of data, learning how to password protect Excel sheets is the best method to keep that information secure. Microsoft Excel is still the most widely used spreadsheet application on the planet.

Excel spreadsheet information is usually confidential since it contains personal or financial information. Naturally, you may want to add extra security to your Excel files, such as a passcode. One can secure any Excel file using a variety of methods, including third-party Excel password options and also the popular built-in Excel password tool.

How to Password Protect Excel File

When you are using a computer to store all your important or confidential data in files and do not want anyone to read them, you can rely on excel for privacy. In order to secure your file, you first need to know how to password protect excel.

Just follow the steps given below to achieve your desired results:

Step 1: First you need to just open the document that you wish to secure with a password.

Step 2: Now just tap on the file to view the information of the entire file.

Step 3: Next you need to tap on the Protect Workbook button and a menu box will appear on your screen where you just need to select ‘encrypt with password’.

Step 4: Here, excel is going to interrupt you with a box where you will be asked to type a password to secure a document. Just make sure that you choose a complicated and unique one.

Note: It is critical that you remember it or keep a duplicate of it in a safe place because if you forget it, you will lose access to the Excel file and retrieving it would be difficult. A lost password cannot be recovered, therefore save it in a password manager or similar mechanism in case it is forgotten.

How to Password Protect an Excel Document

Excel is a very powerful and widely used tool for any industry. It has the capacity to collect data and analyse it using a simple formula. Most organisations rely on Excel or Sheets documents, whether for payroll monitoring or as a CMS. Therefore, it's a good idea to safeguard the data as much as possible.

This tutorial will assist you on how to password protect excel by creating a password to keep your files safe from prying eyes or to prevent others from editing them.

Check out the simple and convenient steps given below:

Step 1: First, you need to open your Excel Workbook.

Step 2: Next, you need to go to your File tab and tap on Save As. 

Step 3: Next, you need to tap on Browse.

Step 4: Now you need to tap on the Tools button and then click on the General options.

Step 5: Next, you will notice that you need to write the password and then tap on the Ok button.

Step 6: Now just enter the password once again for modification and then tap on Ok.

Step 7: As a last step, you need to enter the name of the file and then tap on Save. 

Note: Companies, in particular, benefit from limiting access to Excel files. Businesses are aware that all workers have access to the company's system, but some are not permitted to open specific papers. In the same way, all the ITs have created security templates to protect Excel files from their own set of users. It's useful in large gatherings when some individuals need to access data but not all of them need to go in and out of the page.

How to Protect Excel Sheets with Password

By creating a one-of-a-kind digital signature, you can ensure that only you have access to and control over your Excel files. Security of Excel files is an important responsibility. Starting with password protection, there are several security measures available to guarantee that your information stays private and secure. When your password secures an Excel sheet, it helps you to add a modest extra degree of security to a single spreadsheet within your workbook. 

People who have access to the Excel file may still see the spreadsheet, but they cannot make any changes unless they have the right password. You may also use a separate password for this option. So now you see it’s so easy to password protect your excel sheets and the information within when you know how to password protect excel. 

Third-Party Encryption To Secure Your Excel Sheets

1. 7-Zip

Using the free archive application 7-Zip to password secure numerous Excel files at the same time is a great way to encrypt many Excel files at the same time. You can use 7-Zip to encrypt an entire folder of individual Excel files, password guarding a whole group of Excel spreadsheets rather than just one at a time.

• To begin, download and install the most recent version of 7-Zip. 
• After installation, navigate to the folder containing your Excel files. 
• Now, choose all of the files you wish to password protect by dragging your mouse cursor over them. 
• Alternatively, hold CTRL and left click with your mouse to pick specific files. 
• After you've made your decision, right-click and pick 7-Zip. 
• To access the 7-Zip archive settings, click Add to Archive. On the right, you'll see encryption choices. 
• Enter a strong and distinct password, then click OK. 

Before you open any of the Excel spreadsheets contained within the archive, you must enter a password. The spreadsheets outside the archive, on the other hand, are not password secured. Select and remove the non-password protected Excel worksheets (located outside the archive).

2. Windows Encrypting File System

The Windows Encrypting File Mechanism (EFS) is a built-in encryption system for individual files in Windows. EFS is not the same as Bitlocker, which is used for complete disc encryption. EFS, on the other hand, operates on a file-by-file basis, making it ideal for password-protecting an Excel spreadsheet.

• To encrypt your file using EFS, right-click the Excel spreadsheet and select Properties. 
• Select Advanced, then check the Encrypt contents to safeguard the data box. 
• Click OK, then Apply. 

The Encryption Warning will be shown. It shows why encrypting a single file might cause problems in some situations and that encrypting the entire folder provides additional security. 

If the file is in a frequently used folder, you must unlock the folder each time you wish to view another file.

One solution is to put your text file in a different folder and use it as your secure folder. After you confirm your choice, the Encrypting File System will ask you if you wish to backup the encryption key. If you forget your decryption password, you can utilise the encryption key backup.

Conclusion

Using Microsoft Office's inbuilt password protection to password secure an Excel file or sheet used to be dangerous. The encryption algorithm was insufficiently strong and had several flaws, leaving it useless. Because Microsoft Office now employs AES-256, you can be confident that the password security on your Excel spreadsheet is reliable and hard to avoid with the current technology. 

Because the inbuilt password security only handles one file at a time, you may want to try using 7-Zip encryption. If you have a big number of Excel spreadsheets to safeguard, consider password protecting them all together in a single archive. 

You can reach out to our HubSpot experts to troubleshoot any particular issue you’re facing or have a custom HubSpot development requirement. If you’re having short on resources to take care of the CMS Hub configuration and other day to day HubSpot tasks, check out our HubSpot CMS management service by FThemes.

Talk soon 🖖