Excel Password Remover

Locked out of your own spreadsheet? This free tool helps you remove a password from Excel in a few seconds. It takes the lock off a sheet or workbook right in your browser, so your file never leaves your computer. There is no sign up and nothing to install.

Before you start, know this: Excel has more than one kind of lock. Some locks come off easily. One kind, the password you type to open a file, cannot be removed at all. The tool below tells you which lock you have and removes the ones it can.

Excel Password Remover

Takes sheet and workbook protection off files you own. Your file stays on your device.

Drop your Excel file here or click to choose
Works with .xlsx and .xlsm. You can add more than one file.

This tool removes locks on worksheets and workbook structure. It does not open or recover files that need a password to open, because those are encrypted. Use it only on files you have the right to access.

On this page

Which Excel lock do you have?

There are four locks, and they are not the same. A sheet lock stops you from changing cells. A workbook structure lock stops you from adding or moving sheets. A modify lock opens the file as read only. These three can be removed without the password. The fourth, an open password, scrambles the whole file. It cannot be removed, only typed. The tool above checks your file and shows you which one it is.

How to remove a password from an Excel sheet

If the file opens but the cells will not change, you have a sheet lock. Here is how to remove a password from Excel the easy way: drop the file in the tool above and download the clean copy. If you would rather do it by hand, open the file in Excel, go to the Review tab, and click Unprotect Sheet. If it asks for a password you do not have, use the tool instead. Your numbers, text, and formulas all stay the same. You can also use our Unprotect Excel Sheet tool for this.

How to remove a workbook structure lock

A structure lock stops you from adding, hiding, or moving sheets. The tabs at the bottom look greyed out. If you know the password, go to Review and click Protect Workbook, then type it to switch the lock off. If you forgot it, the tool above removes this lock for you and keeps every sheet in place.

What if the file opens as read only?

Some files open in read only mode and ask for a second password to edit. This is a modify lock. To remove it in Excel, use File, then Save As, then Tools, then General Options, and clear the password box. If you do not know it, the tool above clears this lock along with the others.

I forgot the password to open the file

This is the hard one. When a file needs a password just to open, Excel locks it with strong encryption. There is no trick or tool that removes it. The only way in is to type the correct password, or to try to guess it with recovery software, which can take a very long time and often fails. Before you go that route, look for a backup, an email copy, or an older version of the file. Check a password manager too.

The person who made the file has left. Can I still open it?

It depends on the lock. If it is a sheet or structure lock, yes, the tool above opens it without the old password. If it needs a password to open, then no one can get in without that password, not even your IT team. Search shared drives, old emails, and any notes the person left behind.

I tried the zip trick and the file will not open. Why?

Many guides tell you to rename the file to .zip and edit it. That only works on files that open normally but have a locked sheet. If the zip step gives an error like “invalid file,” your file has an open password. The whole file is scrambled, so it is not a real zip at all. That error is a clear sign you are dealing with encryption, not a simple sheet lock.

How to unlock an old .xls file

Old .xls files are built in a different way from newer .xlsx files. The zip trick does not work on them. The clean path is to open the .xls file in Excel and save it as .xlsx first. Then run the new file through the tool above. If the old file also needs a password to open, saving it will still ask for that password.

Will I lose my data or formulas?

No. Removing a sheet or structure lock only deletes the lock. Your cells, formulas, charts, and formatting all stay in place. We tested this on protected files with data and formulas, and the content came through unchanged. Even so, it is smart to keep a copy of the original file first.

Does it work on Windows and Mac?

Yes. The tool runs in your web browser, so it works the same on Windows 10, Windows 11, Mac, and Chromebook. There is nothing to download. The menu steps for the by hand method are almost the same on Mac, with small wording changes.

Is it safe and private?

Yes. Your file is read and fixed inside your own browser. It is never sent to a server and never uploaded. When you close the tab, nothing is left behind. This is the safest way to handle a file that may hold pay rates, client names, or other private data.

It is fine for files you own or are allowed to open. That covers your own work, a shared team file, or a file you were asked to fix. It is not okay to open someone else’s file without permission. This tool is built to help you get back into your own work, not to break into files you should not have.

Try it yourself

Want to see it work before you trust it with a real file? Make a blank spreadsheet, add a few numbers, and protect the sheet with a test password in the Review tab. Save it, then drop it in the tool above. You will see the lock come off and your numbers stay put. Once you trust it, use it on the file you really need.

Frequently asked questions

How do I remove a password from Excel without knowing it?

Use the tool above for a sheet or structure lock. It removes the lock without the password and keeps your data. This does not work for a password that is needed to open the file, because that one is encrypted.

What is the best free Excel password remover?

For sheet and structure locks, a browser tool that works on your own device, like this one, is the safest free choice because nothing is uploaded. For an open password, no free remover really exists. Those are guessing tools, and they are slow and often do not work.

My password is correct but Excel will not accept it. What now?

This is often a space at the end, a different keyboard setting, or a lock that is not the type you think. The fastest fix is to skip the password. The tool above removes a sheet lock no matter what, so you do not need the password to work again.

Can I unlock the sheet with Google Sheets?

For a sheet lock, yes. Upload the file to Google Sheets, then download it again as Excel. The sheet lock drops off. This does not work if the file needs a password to open, because Google Sheets cannot open an encrypted file either.

Why does Excel say the file is corrupt after I edit it?

This usually happens when a file is zipped back the wrong way by hand, or when the file was really an encrypted one all along. The tool above rebuilds the file the right way, so you avoid this error.

How do I lock the sheet again later?

Open the clean file in Excel, go to the Review tab, click Protect Sheet, and set a new password. Keep it somewhere safe this time, like a password manager.

More free tools: Unprotect Excel Sheet and the full Excel tools library.

Written by the Game of Excel team. We build free Excel tools and tutorials and test each tool on real protected files before we publish it. Last updated October 2026.