Steps
- Try the free online remover first - Drop your .xlsx or .xlsm file into our browser-based remover. It strips both workbook-structure protection and sheet protection in one pass - no password needed, and the file never leaves your device.
- Or use Excel if you know the password - In desktop Excel, go to the Review tab and click Protect Workbook to toggle it off, entering the password if prompted. This only works when you know the password.
- Confirm the structure is unlocked - Right-click a sheet tab. If Insert, Delete, Rename, Move, and Unhide are enabled again, workbook protection is gone.
- Re-save your workbook - Save the file. The unlocked copy from the online tool downloads ready to open in Excel, Google Sheets, or LibreOffice.
Before You Start
- Workbook protection is different from sheet protection: workbook protection locks the set of sheets, sheet protection locks the cells within a sheet. Our remover clears both.
- Neither is the same as a password-to-open. If Excel demands a password before the file opens at all, the file is encrypted and cannot be unlocked without that password.
- Only unprotect workbooks you own or have permission to modify.
Alternative Methods
- Online remover (no password, no upload) - Best when the password is lost or unknown. Removes the <workbookProtection> and <sheetProtection> records directly in your browser. Works on .xlsx and .xlsm.
- Review > Protect Workbook in Excel - Best when you know the password and already have desktop Excel open. Toggles protection off in place.
- Manual ZIP/XML edit - For the technically inclined: rename the file to .zip, open xl/workbook.xml, delete the <workbookProtection .../> tag, and re-zip. Our tool automates exactly this.