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How to Bypass Excel Password Protection

Do you know how to bypass excel file password to edit? My excel file is xlsx format, but it was locked for editing by me and I forgot the excel password.

excel file locked for editing by me

I don't know whether your excel file is also protected with open password besides protection password on editing.

Now please try to open your password protected excel file to make sure. If you find excel file open password exists, you would need to recover excel forgotten open password at first and then remove it in MS Excel, otherwise you cannot remove Excel editing restrictions. Then about other excel protection password bypass, you can get iSunshare Workbook Unprotect Genius for help.

In a word, you would have to follow 2 steps if you want to bypass forgotten excel file password to edit. Surely if your excel file has no open password, you can skip the step 1 and directly begin from step 2.

  1. 1: Bypass Excel file open password
  2. 2: Bypass Excel file protection password
  3. 3. Bypass Excel Sheet/wrokbook password protection by removing protection tag

1: Bypass Excel File Open Password

iSunshare Excel Password Genius is one of the best excel password recovery tools that is designed to find out excel file (xls/xlsx) open password safely and effectively. And how much time it will cost depend on the excel file open password complexity and password recovery settings on the password tool. So learn to make detailed and appropriate settings for your excel file forgotten open password will largely improve excel password recovery speed.

1-1 Install and run Excel Password Genius (full version) on your computer.

1-2 Click Open button and select password protected excel file in your computer to import into iSunshare excel password recovery tool.

import password protected excel file

1-3 Browse the Type of recovery and select one recovery type that you think is the best for your excel file password recovery. And check or uncheck related parameters under it to shorten password recovery time as much as possible. Refer to: password recovery recovery settings

improve speed to recover excel file open password

1-4 Start to recover excel file open password after tapping on Start button. And instantly you would find excel file open password is recovered successfully and shown on a new pop-up dialog.

recover excel file forgotten open password successfully

1-5 Click Copy and Open button on the dialog to open password protected excel file with recovered password.

open password protected excel file with recovered password

1-6 Suppose it is opened in Excel 2010/2013/2016, you can click FileInfoProtect WorkbookEncrypt with Password to clear open password in following dialog Encrypt Document. Then save changes to remove open password from excel file. Then the next time, when you want to open excel file, you could bypass excel password to open.

remove excel file open password

2: Bypass Excel File Protection Password

In order to successfully remove and bypass protection password from excel file at once, now iSunshare Workbook Unprotect Genius is recommended, which could fast remove Excel password protection from excel file with one click except open password.

2-1 Launch Workbook Unprotect Genius (full version recommended) on your computer.

2-2 Add the protected Excel file that you have removed open password or have no open password. Then just tap on Open button and you could browse and find the password protected excel file. Select it and click Open button again in "Open" window to add to iSunshare software.

add password protected excel xlsx file

2-3 Remove Excel file protection password with one click on Remove Password button.

remove password protection from excel file

Once "Remove Password" button is clicked, instantly all of the excel file protection password would be removed in one second. Please click "OK" to make sure and an unprotected excel file will be created for you. It means your excel file password protection has been removed.

successfully remove excel file password protection get unprotected excel file

From then on, when you open the unprotected excel file, you would find you could bypass excel password to open and edit xls/xlsx file.

bypass excel password to edit file

Note: No matter your excel file is protected with excel file open password, modify password, worksheet password or workbook password, as long as you have Excel Password Genius and Workbook Unprotect Genius, you could remove and bypass excel forgotten password to do what you want on excel file.

3. Bypass Excel Sheet/wrokbook password by removing protection tag

This way works for excel workbook 97-2016. Therefore, no matter your excel workbook is in .xls or .xlsx format, you could try this way to remove sheet protection password.

Step 1: Change the excel file name from .xls or .xlsx to .zip.

Click the excel file and press F2 to rename it. But just change the extensions to .zip. Then click on Yes to save change when prompted.

change excel file name extensions to zip

Step 2: Open xml file related to excel sheet you need to remove protection.

Open the ZIP archive with 7-ZIP. Open the folder xlworksheets and you could see several xml file. Select the xml file related to password protected excel sheet and right click on it to select Edit. Then it will be opened in Notepad by default. If not, please open it in Notepad manually.

find and open xml file related to protected sheet

Step 3: Remove "sheetProtection" tag in xml file.

Check "sheetProtection" tag in opening xml file and delete the tap beginning with it. Then press Ctrl + S to save changes and close the sheet2.xml file.

delete sheet protection tag in xml file

Step 4: Update xml file after changes in zip file.

Make sure to update the modified xml file when prompted. Just click OK button and it would be updated in zip archive.

update modified xml file

Step 5: Change zip file name extension back to .xls or .xlsx.

Rename zip file name and change zip file name extension backup to .xls or .xlsx. At this point, your excel sheet protection password has been removed.

change zip file back to excel file

 

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