How to Remove Password from Excel File with/without Password

MS Excel is a revolutionary software product from Microsoft that enables you to store, analyze, update and share a massive amount of data. It also enables you to prevent unethical access to the data while sharing through password protection. If you forget the password, it can be hard to access the excel file.

So, is there any way to eradicate password protection from the Excel file? Well, the answer is yes. Keep reading to find out how to remove passwords from Excel files.

Part 1. Remove Password from Excel Workbook without Password

Here are some of the best ways to remove password protection from the excel workbook when you don't know the password:

Remove Excel Password with a 3rd-Party Software

You can use the FoneGeek for Excel to quickly and easily remove the password from any excel file. It is a powerful password recovery tool that enables you to recover and reset passwords efficiently. Let's see the key features of this program and how to utilize the FoneGeek for Excel to remove passwords from an excel file.

Key feature of FoneGeek for Excel:

• Remove restrictions from read-only Excel worksheet or workbook with 100% success rate to print, edit, copy, etc.
• Find the opening password for you to remove protection from locked Excel.
• It guarantees the high password recovery speed with its exclusive Multi-core CPU and GPU Acceleration
• To unprotect an worksheet, it requires only 3-5 seconds.

Here are the steps to remove password from Excel file.

Step 1: Install and launch the FoneGeek for Excel on your PC and press “Remove Restrictions”.

Step 2: Now upload the locked excel workbook by pressing the “+” icon on the app screen.

Step 3: Press the "Remove" button to remove the password protection from the file. That's it; you are done!

Zipping Excel Document to Remove Password

If you don't want to use a third-party tool, this is the best option for you. You can zip the excel file to remove the password from it. Here is how to do this on Windows PCs:

• Open File Explorer and go to the folder where the excel file is stored. Then expand the "View" tab. Find and check the box beside "File name extensions". 
• Now left-click on the file name and then press "Rename". Change the file extension from xslx to zip.

• Press "Yes" on the warning tab to proceed. 
• Now open the .zip file and press on the file named xl. 
• Double-click the excel worksheets folder and then select the password-protected worksheet. 

• Now tap and hold on to the password-protected worksheet and bring it to File Explorer. Open it with Notepad.
• Now press CTRL+F on the keyboard within the Notepad to open the search tool. 
• Press on the find what box, type protection and press Find Next. 
• Notepad will find the line with the word protection. Copy the entire text starting from  and delete the text. 
• After that, save and close the Notepad. And, copy and paste the file you have edited to the Zip. Press OK if you see an Archine name and parameter box. Close the .zip file. 
• Once you are done, modify the file name extension back to .xslx. Press Yes on the warning box. Now you should open the file.

Remove Password from Excel Online

Password Find is a paid online tool that enables you to eradicate password protection from excel. Here is how to use it:

• Go to Password Find
• Click on “Unprotect your file” at the top of the page.
• Upload your excel file by pressing browse. Press “Next step” after uploading.
• Press “Remover password” to unprotect the file.
• You will be asked to enter a license key to download the file if the removal is successful.

Part 2. Remove Password from Excel Workbook with Password

Here are the best methods to remove a password from Excel Workbook when you know the password.

Remove a Password in Excel with Info Feature

If you know the password of the Excel file, you can easily remove it utilizing the Info option in Excel. Here is how to do so:

• First, open the Excel file.
• Next, enter the password on the box and press OK.
• After the excel file load, press File and then press the Info option.
• Now select Protect Workbook and then press Encrypt with Password from the options.

• Next, remove the password from the password box and then press OK. That’s it; done.

Remove Password from Excel File via Save As Option

You can also use the save as option to remove the password from an excel file. Here is what to do:

• First, open the Excel file and enter the password in the popup.
• Now press File > Save As.

• In the Save As popup, press Tools > General Options. from the bottom left of the popup box.

• In the general options popup, remove the password texts from Password to open and Password to modify boxes.

• Press OK and then Save the file to remove the password.

Remove Protection Password from Excel via Review Tab

You can also use the Review tab to remove password protection from an Excel file following the below steps:

• First, open the Excel file and enter the password to access it.
• Now press the Review tab from the top ribbon.
• Next, select Unprotect Sheet and enter the password again.

• Select Protect Sheet Option to get rid of the password and press OK.
• Finally, save the file by pressing CTRL+S or by pressing the save icon above. Done!

Part 3. Things to Remember

• The converting to zip method will only work if the spreadsheets are password protected instead of the files.
• While using the Save as option, there will be a copied version of the excel file that will be saved on your PC. That means the password won't be removed from the original file.
• While trying to make a change to the file name extension, make sure to create a backup first to prevent possible chances of data loss. Sometimes the excel file may get corrupted during the conversion.

Conclusion

As you see, removing the password protection from an Excel file/sheet is not hard. You can use any of the mentioned methods to remove the password from your excel file. However, if you want to be assured of quick and efficient removal, we will recommend FoneGeek for Excel for the best outcome. Best of luck!

Joan J. Mims is interested in researching all tips about iPhone, iPad and Android. He loves to share useful ideas with all users.

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