What are Excel Sheet Protection & Workbook Protection?
Excel has three levels of protection: File Encryption (password to open), Workbook Protection (restrict sheet structure), and Worksheet Protection (restrict cell editing). This tool handles the latter two — both use weak hashing and can be removed without knowing the password.
How It Works
.xlsx and .xlsm files are ZIP archives containing XML files. Protection data is stored in <sheetProtection> or <workbookProtection> tags. This tool simply removes those tags without modifying anything else.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Will this damage my data?
- Does it support .xls files?
- Does it work with macro-enabled files?
- Can it remove the file open password?
- Is my file upload secure?
No. Only the protection tags are removed. All data, formulas, charts, and macros remain intact.
No. .xls is the old binary format and is not supported.
Yes. .xlsm files are supported and VBA macros are preserved.
No. File open passwords use AES encryption and cannot be bypassed by this tool.
Yes. Uploaded files are processed and deleted automatically; no copies are retained.
How to Use
- Upload your .xlsx or .xlsm file.
- Choose which protection to remove: worksheet, workbook, or both.
- Click the button to start processing.
- Download the unprotected file.