How to unprotect Excel sheet if forgot the password

RuthDelbert 

I have also been in a situation where I forgot Excel password of an Excel file. At that time, I used a simple VBA script to try to unprotect Excel worksheet. The basic steps are as follows:

1. Open the Excel file: First, open the file you need to unlock.
2. Launch the VBA Editor: Press Alt + F11 keys in Excel, which will open the VBA Editor.
3. Insert a new module: In the VBA Editor, right-click on "VBAProject" on the left, select "Insert", and then select "Module".
4. Copy and paste the code: Paste a VBA code for cracking the password in the new module. This code will try various password combinations until it finds the correct password.

5. This code will try some simple passwords (such as "1234", "password", "0000") and tell you which one is the correct password. Of course, you may need to try more combinations in actual use.

6. Run the script: In the VBA editor, press F5 to run the script. If the password is simple, this method may successfully unlock it.

This method is more suitable for situations where the password is not particularly complex. If the password is very complex, it may take more time or a more complex script to try. I hope this simplified method can help you!

RuthDelbert

Using VBA to try to unprotect Excel sheet without password is a more technical method, but if you are willing to try some programming, it is definitely a direction to explore. I once encountered the problem of forgetting the password of an Excel file, and a piece of VBA code helped me solve this trouble.

It is actually not that complicated to operate. You just need to open the Excel file with password protection and press Alt + F11 to enter the VBA editor. Here, you can insert a new module and paste a piece of code to crack the password. There are many such sample codes on the Internet, but the basic idea is to try multiple combinations until you find the correct password.

Here is a simple VBA code example to try to unlock Excel worksheet:

Sub PasswordBreaker()
    'Breaks worksheet password protection.
    Dim i As Integer, j As Integer, k As Integer
    Dim l As Integer, m As Integer, n As Integer
    Dim i1 As Integer, i2 As Integer, i3 As Integer
    Dim i4 As Integer, i5 As Integer, i6 As Integer
    On Error Resume Next
    For i = 65 To 66: For j = 65 To 66: For k = 65 To 66
    For l = 65 To 66: For m = 65 To 66: For i1 = 65 To 66
    For i2 = 65 To 66: For i3 = 65 To 66: For i4 = 65 To 66
    For i5 = 65 To 66: For i6 = 65 To 66: For n = 32 To 126
        ActiveSheet.Unprotect Chr(i) & Chr(j) & Chr(k) & Chr(l) & Chr(m) & _
            Chr(i1) & Chr(i2) & Chr(i3) & Chr(i4) & Chr(i5) & Chr(i6) & Chr(n)
        If ActiveSheet.ProtectContents = False Then
            MsgBox "One usable password is " & Chr(i) & Chr(j) & Chr(k) & _
                Chr(l) & Chr(m) & Chr(i1) & Chr(i2) & Chr(i3) & _
                Chr(i4) & Chr(i5) & Chr(i6) & Chr(n)
            Exit Sub
        End If
    Next: Next: Next: Next: Next: Next
    Next: Next: Next: Next: Next: Next
End Sub

This code will try various password combinations and if it finds the right password it will display it. Of course, this method may take some time, especially if the password is complex.

RuthDelbert For Excel 2007 and later versions, files are saved in an XML-based format. This means you can unzip the file and manually edit the XML files to remove the protection. This method requires some technical knowledge and careful handling of XML files.

How to unprotect Excel sheet without password by editing the internal xml file:

1. Change the file extension of the Excel workbook from .xlsx to .zip.
2. Extract the contents of the ZIP file to a folder.
3. Navigate to the folder and open the xl subfolder.
4. Locate the worksheets subfolder and find the XML file corresponding to the protected sheet (e.g., sheet1.xml).
5. Open the XML file in a text editor (e.g., Notepad++).
6. Search for the tag <sheetProtection> and delete it along with its attributes.
7. Save the XML file and close the text editor.
8. Compress the folder back into a ZIP file.
9. Change the file extension from .zip back to .xlsx.
10. Open the modified Excel file, and the sheet should be unprotected.

I actually ran into the same issue before. I ended up using a tool called Dr--Excel, and it worked like a charm. It took me just over 20 minutes to recover my 7-digit password, and I was back into my file without any issues.

I followed this step-by-step guide:

https://www.makeuserof.com/unprotect-excel-sheet

The interface is straightforward, and it’s easy to use.  If you’re stuck like I was, I’d definitely recommend giving Dr--Excel a try.

There are several online services that offer password recovery tools for Excel. These tools can quickly unprotect excel sheet without password. Be cautious when using online services and ensure they are reputable to avoid data breaches or malware.

Search for a reliable online Excel password recovery tool. Upload the protected Excel file to the service. Follow the instructions provided by the service to remove or recover the password. Download the unprotected file once the process is complete.