How to Remove Password from an Excel Spreadsheet

In today’s world of digital everything, spreadsheets, word documents, and presentations are also preferred in the digital form. With rising demand and ever-growing popularity, tools like software like Microsoft Office have become a must-have. Used by almost every professional around the world, the Office suite aims to make work simpler with high-end privacy options.

While working on Excel, many often struggle to work with password-protected spreadsheets. Some sheets are often secured using a pin or password to ensure only the right people can access them. But what if you forget the password and lose access to the sheet. This article will help to remove passwords from an Excel spreadsheet with a workaround.

Remove Password from a Sheet

Forgetting or losing a password is a pretty common problem in today’s world. But while email IDs and social media accounts, provide a Forgot Password option to reset it when needed, bypassing security in Excel is also possible. To remove passwords from an Excel spreadsheet follow the steps below.

Start by opening the password protected Excel spreadsheet that you want to access. When opened, scan through the top panel and click on the option ‘Unprotect Sheet’.

Enter the password (if known) and then click on OK to access the spreadsheet. However, this solution only works if you have the password.

How to Bypass Password Protection of an Excel Spreadsheet

If you do not have the password of a Excel Spreadsheet but need to vie the file, there is an alternate method. Before this process, make sure to create a backup of the file.

To bypass the password protection, first rename the file you need access to. Rename the file and change its extension from ‘*.xlzx’ to ‘*.zip’.

Next, open the renamed file. Double-click to open the zipped file using your system’s default file compression software.

A window will appear showing multiple files. Here, look for the folder named ‘xl’. Double click on it to open the folder.

When inside the ‘xl’ folder, look for and open the folder named ‘worksheets’. In the Worksheets folder you’ll find a list of the different worksheets linked with the original *.xlsx file.

Next, select the worksheet you want to view (if more than one worksheet is displayed). Open it with Notepad and follow the mentioned steps. Here, look for the following text:

<sheetProtection algorithmName=”SHA-512″ hashValue=”x9RyFM+j9H4J3IFFhsHo3q1kQkuLydpJlLh2mdvfvk15He/Yps8xizWt/XkAJ//g+TyqgcU+8o1QBjQvKDqIzg==” saltValue=”57YXDPnVjawU5s1nGyT8fQ==” spinCount=”100000″ sheet=”1″ objects=”1″ scenarios=”1″/>

Select the entire text mentioned above on the notepad, delete it, and save the file. If you’re looking to bypass the security of multiple spreadsheets, repeat the process for every necessary XML file.