How can I remove password protection from excel file in Windows 11?

If you've forgotten the password and just want to remove password protection from Excel without installing any sketchy software, this is one of the easiest and safest workarounds out there.

Here's how it goes down:

1. Open your browser and head to Google Drive (you'll need a free Google account if you don't already have one).

2. Click "New" → "File upload" and select your protected Excel file.

3. Once it's uploaded, right-click the file and choose "Open with" → "Google Sheets".

4. Google Sheets will automatically try to convert and open the file. Most of the time, it completely ignores worksheet-level protection — no password needed, no questions asked.

5. Once it's open, you can edit, copy, or modify anything you need.

6. To save it back as an Excel file, go to File → Download → Microsoft Excel (.xlsx).

Boom - With just a browser and a free account, you can successfully remove password protection from Excel. No need to download, no need for terminal commands, and no worries about damaging the file with a hexadecimal editor.

If you are working with a file that contains multiple protected worksheets, Google Sheets usually removes the password protection of Excel at once - this is undoubtedly a nice additional advantage.