Excel Password & Protection Tool
Unlock password-protected workbooks, remove sheet and workbook protection, or lock any spreadsheet — all in your browser, nothing uploaded.
Everything you need to secure or recover your spreadsheets
Unlock encrypted workbooks
Enter the password to decrypt agile-encrypted .xlsx files and restore normal access to the workbook.
Lock any spreadsheet
Add an open password to .xlsx, .xls, .csv, or .tsv — the latter three are converted to .xlsx first.
Remove sheet & workbook protection
Strip sheet protection, workbook protection, and write reservations without needing the password.
Add sheet & workbook protection
Lock every worksheet and the workbook structure, with or without a password.
100% private & in-browser
Files are processed locally with Web Crypto and never leave your device.
Free, no sign-up
Protect, unlock, and unprotect workbooks instantly with no account and no cost.
What is Excel password and sheet protection?
Excel offers two very different kinds of protection. A password to open encrypts the whole workbook, scrambling every part so the file is unreadable without the key — we decrypt these .xlsx files using the standard ECMA-376 Agile algorithm in your browser. Sheet and workbook protection is much lighter: it stores only a password hash alongside simple on/off flags, stops other people editing a sheet or changing the structure, and can be removed at any time without the password, because the data itself is never encrypted. This tool covers both, so you can lock a workbook, recover access to one you own, or strip restrictive flags from a file you have the rights to.
How to use the Excel password tool
Three tabs cover the whole lifecycle: Unlock, Lock, and Restrict. Start by dropping a file onto the upload area.
Unlock a password-protected workbook
Drop your encrypted .xlsx and switch to the Unlock tab. Enter the password and click Unlock — the decrypted workbook downloads as a new file, and you can continue to remove any sheet protection on the Restrict tab.
Lock a spreadsheet with an open password
Drop a .xlsx, .xls, .csv, or .tsv and switch to the Lock tab. Enter a password twice and click Protect. .xlsx files are encrypted byte-for-byte; other formats are converted to .xlsx first so any spreadsheet can be locked.
Add or remove sheet & workbook protection
On the Restrict tab you'll see the current protection state. Click Protect to lock every sheet and the workbook structure (optionally with a password), or click Remove protection to clear all sheet, workbook, and write-reservation flags instantly.
Notes & limitations
An encrypted file can only be unlocked with its password — there is no way to recover a lost open password. Sheet and workbook protection is removed without a password because it never encrypts your data, so only strip it from files you own or are allowed to modify. Legacy Standard-encrypted .xls and password-protected old-format files are not supported in-browser and are reported clearly. Protecting a sheet does not hide its values — anyone can still read the cells.