A protected Excel worksheet blocks cell edits, formatting changes, and some sheet actions. Start with the command that matches your version of Excel, then check passwords, sharing permissions, and workbook restrictions when the sheet still will not edit.
Unprotect the sheet from the Review tab on Windows
Use this in Excel for Windows when the current worksheet is protected. It applies to Excel for Microsoft 365, Excel 2024, Excel 2021, Excel 2019, and Excel 2016.
Open the protected worksheet.
Select Review, go to Changes, and choose Unprotect Sheet.
If Excel shows the Unprotect Sheet dialog box, enter the worksheet password and select OK.
If the sheet was protected without a password, Excel removes protection without asking for one.
Use File Info when the ribbon is not convenient
Excel for Windows also puts the same worksheet command on the file information screen. Open the protected worksheet, select File, and choose Info.
Select Protect, choose Unprotect Sheet, enter the password in the Unprotect Sheet dialog box, and select OK.
If this still leaves the sheet protected, use the password section below; if the workbook opens view-only, request access from the owner instead.
Unprotect a worksheet in Excel for Mac
Select the protected sheet, open Review, and choose Unprotect Sheet. Enter the sheet password when Excel asks for it.
For a protected form sheet in Excel for Mac, use the macOS menu bar and choose Tools > Protection > Unprotect Sheet.
If protected ranges use Active Directory permissions, Excel for Mac does not unlock those ranges through that permission system. Open the workbook on a domain-joined Windows device to edit the permitted range, or use Review > Unprotect Sheet on the Mac when you own the sheet or know the password.
Turn off protection in Excel for the web
Open the workbook in Excel for the web and select the protected worksheet.
Select Review.
Select Manage Protection.
In the Manage Protection task pane, turn off Protect sheet.
Enter the sheet protection password when Excel asks for it.
For a temporary edit in your current session, select Review > Pause Protection; when you finish, select Review > Resume Protection.
Find Unprotect Sheet with Search or the keyboard
When the command is hard to spot, Excel can take you straight to it.
- 1.Select the Microsoft Search box or Tell me what you want to do, or press Alt+Q in Microsoft 365 apps that support it.
- 2.Type Unprotect Sheet.
- 3.Choose the Unprotect Sheet command.
- 4.Enter the worksheet password when Excel prompts you.
- 5.For keyboard-only navigation in Excel for Windows, press Alt or F10, press Alt+R for Review, move to Unprotect Sheet, and press Enter or Spacebar.
Handle the password prompt
Worksheet protection starts either with a password or with no password. When no password was set, Unprotect Sheet removes protection immediately.
When a password was set, Excel requires that password before it unprotects the sheet. Microsoft says forgotten worksheet or workbook passwords cannot be retrieved, and the worksheet or workbook cannot be unprotected through supported means.
If this fails because you do not have the password, request edit access from the file owner when the workbook is shared as view-only, or edit only the ranges the owner already allowed.
Request access when the workbook is view-only
The most common cause in this situation is file permission blocking edits instead of worksheet protection.
In the upper-right corner, select Viewing.
Select Request more access.
Choose Ask to edit or Ask to review.
Add a note to the file owner and send the request.
If Excel opened the file in Protected View, select Enable Editing on the Yellow Message Bar for files you trust. With a Red Message Bar, select File > Edit Anyway.
Remove other workbook restrictions
When sheet-tab actions are unavailable, select Review.
Select Protect Workbook.
If a password was set, enter the workbook password and select OK. When the workbook structure was protected without a password, Excel removes that protection immediately.
When workbook permissions restrict access and you set those permissions manually, the route differs by platform. In Excel for Mac, select Review.
Select Permissions.
Select No Restrictions.
In the dialog box, select Remove Restrictions.
In Excel for Windows, manage the same permissions from File > Info > Protect Workbook > Restrict Permission by People.
Use these controls only when you set the permission levels manually; admin-applied rights templates cannot be changed or removed with these steps. The latest Excel, Word, and PowerPoint apps for Windows and Mac also stop offering the IRM options when sensitivity labels are in use, so change the sensitivity label or ask your administrator instead.
Avoid older password breaker tricks
Older online instructions recommend VBA password breaker macros or renaming an Excel file to a ZIP file and editing workbook XML. Those are not Microsoft-supported consumer methods for unprotecting a current Excel worksheet.
The supported path remains Unprotect Sheet or Manage Protection with the password when one was set. ZIP/XML edits risk corrupting the file or discarding workbook features, and they do not apply to file-open encryption.
VBA has a legitimate use when you know the password or the sheet was protected without one. In desktop Excel, Worksheet.Unprotect removes protection with a password argument; when the password is needed and omitted, Excel prompts for it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I unprotect an Excel worksheet without a password?
Yes, when the sheet was protected without a password. If a password was set and you forgot it, Microsoft says it cannot retrieve it and the worksheet cannot be unprotected through supported means.
Why can I edit some cells but not others?
The owner likely allowed edits only in specific ranges. In Excel for Windows, owners set those from Review > Allow Edit Ranges, and users edit those cells with the range password or permitted access.
Is workbook protection the same as worksheet protection?
No. Worksheet protection applies to a specific sheet. Workbook protection controls workbook structure, including sheet-tab actions, and is toggled from Review > Protect Workbook.
Why does Excel for Mac not let me edit a protected range?
Excel for Mac does not support Active Directory permissions for unlocking cell ranges. Use Excel on a domain-joined Windows device, or unprotect the sheet on Mac when you know the password.