Forum Discussion
Excel worksheet protection in Excel Online
Does worksheet protection work in Excel Online? We have a workbook where we have set certain ranges for all users (Everyone) to be able to edit without password. Enable protection on the worksheet and share the workbook in OneDrive. Users open the Excel file in Excel Online and states range is protected. Users edit in Desktop Excel and they can edit the cells. I tried to find relevant articles about if this is a limitation to Excel Online, but they are not clear. Should ranges / sheet protection work in Excel Online, or is this a limitation? Or are we doing something wrong?
Found references:
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/excel-online-service-description.aspx#Sheet protection
"When you share an Excel file with other users, you can protect a worksheet to help prevent it from being changed, and you can choose the actions that you allow the users of your worksheet to perform."
"Protected worksheets (not entire workbooks) can be viewed in a browser window in Excel Online."
Thanks,
- "Protected worksheets (not entire workbooks) can be viewed in a browser window in Excel Online."
Thanks, Michael. At first, I didn't pick up on "viewed," and continued to have problems. Then I went to the referenced page and saw that it means view-only, no editing.
I would have thought that this would have been a high priority because using Excel online is often for collaboration, and one does not want someone mucking up the formulae and formatting. I am using Excel online and I cannot even access nor am I seeing cell protection at all....
There are no "Format" options when right clicking a cell.
And where there is "Format" in the drop down, there is nothing that says protection or lock or anything of the sort.
This is so inconsistent and problematic considering we're now in 2022.
Can someone else confirm?
AndyW1985 Same issue here, no format cell option. We only use the online Excel program and I desperately need to lock some parts of the spreadsheet from being edited by other users and can't do it. I have to make backup copies of my master sheet in case someone accidentally deletes or changes cells they shouldn't. MS really needs a fix to this.
Hello, It seems effectively that you need the desktop version to define the protections. Concerning the format, it depends on how you protect your sheet. Perhaps check the option > Allow all users of this worksheet to: "Format cells". It is correct on my computer.
Regards
Patrice
- Hi, I was able to figure out why this happened to me. Even though I had setup Edit Ranges etc. in the required columns, I was not able to edit in Excel Online (through Sharepoint).
I later figured out the reason was because the file which i built upon, had cells locked in "Format Cells" Option. Once I disabled that option, I was able to edit in Excel Online.
Hope this helps for others too!!
Since i cant paste a picture of where to find it, please use this link below (Read the 4th Point).
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/lock-or-unlock-specific-areas-of-a-protected-worksheet-75481b72-db8a-4267-8c43-042a5f2cd93a - I figured it out...
before you protect your sheet or workbook, you need to first format the cells.
Select the cells your would like to be edited and right click > format cells> protection tab> deselect the locked box.
Once this is complete you cant then allow editing ranges from the review button within the ribbon. And then you can protect the sheet and or workbook.Hi,
i've the issue in where I have protected the worksheet so that some collumns are unlocked and editable. The rest of the sheet is locked and cannot be edited. this is working fine if i open the file in the desktop app but i get the emssage this sheet is protected and cannot be edited if trying in excel in browser.
can anyone help me with this ?
matthieu290684 I have the same issue. IN desktop I can unlock some cells and then potect the sheet and it works. As soon as I upload it on share point I can not put data even in the unprotected cells. I can in desktop though. Strange.
- Thank you. This worked
Hello
I have the same problem, did Microsoft come up with a fix for this as it is stopping me sharing a database that I have created.
Any help would be great.
Regards
Adam,
I have the same problem is there any fix planned for this?
Hi
I just unprotected some cells in Desktop, protected the sheet, published to OneDrive, opened it online - protection is working. Opened in Excel desktop, protection is working.
Are you getting a different result?
I see the same behaviour, and it is also the same when using an Excel file in MS Teams. Michael Bennett, have you ever found a solution to this?
Best,
Alex
Hi Alexander, I have not resolved this issue and and no one else has responded to my post. So no solution yet.
