Forum Discussion
Need help protecting formatted "hidden" cells in Excel Worksheets
NikolinoDE 1-the issue I run with when encrypting my workbook is that then the end user can no longer edit the worksheet unless they have the password. But if I provide them the password then they can now do whatever with the worksheet that i was preventing them from doing in the first place.
I guess to make my point more clear, how do people sell excel worksheets online and protect their worksheets from being copied and shared and used by other un authorized to do so?
2-Isn't there "unethical" ways to unprotect a password protected workbook by Macros or saving under .zip format regardless of the strength of the password? Even through 3rd-party services that break passwords...
- There are different ways to lock an Excel file or worksheet individually, depending on what you want to do.
Here are some possibilities:
Lock or unlock specific areas of a protected worksheet
Also want to make my point clearer on this matter:
There are several ways that people can sell Excel worksheets online while protecting them from being copied and shared without authorization. One way is to use a platform like WordPress with a plugin like Easy Digital Downloads (EDD) to sell digital products like spreadsheets. This gives you full control over your store and products, with powerful features and no middleman fees.You can use blog.sellfy.com too, here is a instruction from them how to sell Excel or Google spreadsheet templates.
Another way to protect your worksheets is by encrypting them with a password.
This can be done by heading to the File menu in Excel, clicking on the “Protect Workbook” button, and choosing “Encrypt with Password” from the dropdown menu.
Should I charge for that too?
- As well as there are people who protect files with passwords, there are also people with some “unethical” ways to bypass the protection of a password protected Excel workbook.
Most of these methods are also illegal. Therefore, I recommend that you "always" get permission from the workbook owner before attempting to remove any protection. One way is to change the file extension and manipulate the components of the file.
Any articles, templates, third-party products or information I have provided are for reference only. While I endeavor to keep the information up to date and correct as far as I can. I make no representations or warranties, express or implied, as to the completeness, correctness, reliability, suitability, or availability of any product or information, article, file, template, or related graphic on my posts in this forum. The trust you place in such information is therefore entirely at your own risk.