How to put a password on an excel file

Safety and protection of data are one of the main directions for the development of modern information technologies. The relevance of this problem is not reduced, but only grows. Especially important data protection for table files in which important information is often stored in the commercial information. Let's find out how to protect Excel files using a password.

Installation of the password

The program developers perfectly understood the importance of installing the password on Excel files, so there are several options for performing this procedure at once. At the same time, it is possible to establish a key, both on the opening of the book and on its change.

Method 1: Setting the password while saving a file

One method involves setting a password directly when saving Excel's book.

1. Go to the "File" tab of the Excel program.



2. Click on "Save As".



3. In the window that opens, we click on the "Service" button, located at the very bottom. In the menu that appears, select "General Parameters ...".



4. Another small window opens. Just in it, you can specify a password to the file. In the "Password for Opening" field, we enter a keyword that will need to specify when opening a book. In the "Password to change" field, enter the key to be entered if you need to edit this file.

   If you want your file to be able to edit unauthorized persons, but you want to leave access to view free, then, in this case, enter only the first password. If two keys are specified, then when you open the file, you will be prompted to enter both. If the user knows only the first one of them, then it will be available only to read, without the ability to edit data. Rather, it will be able to edit everything, but it will not be possible to save these changes. It can only be saved in the form of a copy without changing the initial document.

   In addition, you can immediately put a tick about the "Recommend read-only" item.

   At the same time, even for a user who knows both password, the default file will open without the toolbar. But, if desired, he will always be able to open this panel by pressing the appropriate button.

   After all settings in the common parameters window are made, click on the "OK" button.



5. A window opens where you want to enter the key again. This is done to ensure that the user is erroneously at first entering the typical. Click on the "OK" button. In case of incomprehensibility of keywords, the program will offer to enter a password again.



6. After that, we come back to the file saving window again. Here, if you wish, change its name and determine the directory where it will be. When all this is done, click on the "Save" button.

So we defended the Excel file. Now it will take appropriate passwords to open and edit it.

Method 2: Setting the password in the "Details" section

The second way implies the installation of the password in the Excel "Details" section.

1. As the last time, go to the "File" tab.
2. In the "Details" section, click on the "Protect File" button. The list of possible options for protection of the file key opens. As you can see, you can protect the password not only the file as a whole, but also a separate sheet, as well as to establish protection to changes in the structure of the book.



3. If we stop the selection at the "Encipat Password" item, the window will open in which the keyword should be entered. This password meets the key to open a book that we used in the previous method while saving a file. After entering the data, press the "OK" button. Now, without knowing the key, the file no one can open.



4. When you select the "Protect Current Sheet" item, a window will open with a large number of settings. There is also a password input window. This tool allows you to protect a specific sheet from editing. At the same time, in contrast to protection against changes through saving, this method does not provide for the ability to even create a modified copy of the sheet. All actions are blocked on it, although in general the book can be saved.

   Settings for the degree of protection The user can set himself, exposing the checkboxes at the respective items. By default, from all actions for a user who does not own a password, available on a sheet is only the selection of cells. But, the author of the document can allow formatting, inserting and removing rows and columns, sorting, applying an autofilter, a change in objects and scripts, etc. You can remove protection with almost any action. After setting the settings, click on the "OK" button.



5. When you click on the "Protect Structure of the Book" item, you can set the defense of the structure of the document. The settings provide blockage of the change in the structure, both with password and without it. In the first case, this is the so-called "fool protection", that is, from unintentional actions. In the second case, this is already protected from targeted document change by other users.

Method 3: Installation of the password and its removal in the "Review" tab

The ability to install the password exists also in the "Review" tab.

1. Go to the above tab.



2. We are looking for a change tool block on a tape. Click on the "Protect Leaf" button, or "Protect the Book". These buttons are fully consistent with the items "Protect the current sheet" and "Protect the Structure of the Book" in the "Information" section, which we have already spoken above. Further actions are also completely similar.



3. In order to remove the password, you need to click on the "Remove Leaf Protection" button on the tape and enter the appropriate keyword.

As you can see, Microsoft Excel offers several ways to protect the file with a password, both from deliberate hacking, and from unintentional actions. You can pass through the opening of the book and editing or changing its individual structural elements. At the same time, the author can determine himself, from which changes he wants to protect the document.