excel password recovery

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Copper Contributor

i am stuck with excel file forgotten password.What should i do?

10 Replies

A password protected excel file can sometimes be recovered using specific tools such as HashCat or John the Ripper. These are quite technical password "cracking" programs.

 

Older versions of office (prior to office 2010) had quite weak password hashing algorithms but the newer versions are much harder to recover. Tools such as those mentioned above can attempt to guess the password very quickly using long lists of possible passwords.

 

If the file does not contain confidential information you could try an online password retrieval site (link removed by moderator) that uses the same techniques as the aforementioned tools.

 

it may useful for one sheet but not for the file.

its not working

@fama123 

Hi 

To open a password protected Excel file, there is a simple method that works in 90% of cases.

  • Create a Gmail account.
  • Log into your Gmail account
  • Click on Documents
  • Click on Upload
  • Google Docs automatically allows you to make changes
  • Save the File with a different name
  • Download the new File as an Excel File
  • It is saved as an .xls file (version 1997 – 2003)
  • We can now resave the file in an xlsx format (2007 – 2013)

It should open (in most cases) in Excel

Hope that helps

Nabil Mourad

In fact, it depends. ;)

1. It depends on the type of protection (a password with encryption aka "Password to Open" or protection from accidental changes)
2. If it is a Password to Open, then it depends on Excel version:
- Excel 2-95 – passwords are found instantly
- Excel 97-2003 (an xls file with 40-bit encryption) – a document can be guaranteed decrypted without the need to find the password
- Excel 2007-2019 – only check of possible options (password recovery) using templates and dictionaries may help. The process will be faster with GPU acceleration on NVIDIA/AMD video cards.

Passwords ensuring protection from accidental changes are immediately removed for all Excel versions. You can do it yourself manually or use third-party software.
 
(link removed by moderator)

@nabilmourad 

If you set a restriction password,

  1. Use Google Sheets
  • Create a new blank spreadsheet.
  • Click File, and choose Import.
  • Upload your Excel.
  • Then you can edit it and download it.

2. Change file extension

  • Change the extension of the file to .zip.
  • Search the xml format of the file. This will be found in "worksheets" directory.
  • Open the locked sheet in Notepad.
  • Search for the "sheetProtection" term and remove it from the file.
  • Change back the extension of the file as it was in the first place.

 

If you set a open password for your Excel, then you have to crack Excel passowrd with a Excel password recovery tools.

 

I've used commercial password crackers (iSeePassword Dr.Excel )  before and they do work. In my case, the cost of the tool was well worth it in terms of lost time. Mileage varies.

 

(link removed by moderator)

 

drexcel_file.jpg

 

How much is the data worth?

 

 

@fama123 

If I may add, try ZIP. Is the easiest and does not cost anything.

In these forum links you will find further suggestions that do not incur any costs and might help you.

1 Link:Password Options

2 Link:How to unprotect the excel sheet if forgot the password

 

Hope I was able to help you with this info.

 

 

NikolinoDE

I know I don't know anything (Socrates)

 

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@excelpasswordrecovery     

I have had the free excel password recovery working for 2 days.  Is this normal?  Should I stop and try something different? I know 6 characters of the excel FILE but there are more and I cant seem to remeber it!

@ykaiser06 

Hey man try to use hashcat or John the ripper.

  • You can use hashcat new mode attack called the  association attack it will fast track the mask attack since you've got some details.

Or try and use a wordlister with JtR (John the ripper) 

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