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How to Open Password Protected Excel File

Did you know you can open your password protected Excel spreadsheet without entering a password? If no, then this is for you.

Encrypting your Excel file is great as it provides you with the utmost security against third parties. However, end-users’ inability to unlock or decrypt these files has posed a lot of problems such as loss of valuable information, insecurity, and many others.

With this in mind, we decided to carry out detailed research on how you can conveniently open a password protected excel file without a password. Here in this article, you will learn how to do this, before that, let’s see how to open a password protected Excel file with a password.

Part 1: How to Open Password Protected Excel Files with Known Password

For this part, it’s assumed that you know the password to your Excel spreadsheet, so opening it should be a walk in the park. Just follow the detailed guide below to open the file:

Step 1. Open the Excel File: Locate the password protected Excel file on your PC, and then double-click on it with the aid of your mouse to open the file. Alternatively, you can right-click on the file, then select ‘Open.’

Step 2. Enter your Password: Since you’ve encrypted the Excel file, you will be prompted to enter the password to decrypt the file. Input the password and hit the ‘OK’ button. The file will then open instantly without delay.

How to Open Password Protected Excel Files with Known Password

And that’s all for this part. How do you find it?

Easy right?

Well, all thanks to your retentive memory, we were able to accomplish this. Let’s move further learning how to open a password-protected Excel spreadsheet without a password.

Part 2: How to Open Password Protected Excel File without Password

For this part, you won’t be requiring a password to access your password protected Excel file. There are 4 methods explained here. Learn and apply them when you want to open your Excel file but can’t remember the password.

Method 1: Best Way to Open Password Protected Excel File without Password

To open a password protected Excel file without a password, you should use the PassFab for Excel.

PassFab for Excel is a powerful Excel password recovery software developed specifically to help you break into an encrypted Excel file. The program works perfectly on all Windows OS. However, the incompatibility with Mac and Linux OS is the only factor expected to hamper the demand for the product. It opens a password-protected Excel file in two ways/processes: the Excel Password Recovery and Excel Password Remover. Let’s take a look at each of these processes work.

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1. Excel Password Recovery

PassFab for Excel can function as a password recovery tool to unlock the password you used to protect your Excel file. But how is this possible?

Well, the program is optimized with 3 intelligent attack types that you can select from to assist you. These attack types are:

  • Dictionary Attack: Use this attack if you can’t remember the characters used in protecting your file.
  • Brute-force with Mask Attack: We recommend this attack mode if and only if you remember the number of characters used to protect your Excel file.
  • Brute-force: This mode of attack tries all combinations of password if should in case you can’t remember any character of your password.

2. Excel Password Remover

You can also use PassFab for Excel to bypass the password used to encrypt an Excel file and workbook. So you can quickly carry out any operations such as editing, copying, and printing, on the Excel file or workbook.

Now you understand how PassFab for Excel works, it’s imperative you know how to use it to decrypt or unprotect a password protected Excel spreadsheet. Below, you will find the complete step by step guide to unlocking your Excel file using PassFab for Excel.

Step by Step Guide to Unprotect an Excel Spreadsheet

Follow the 3 steps given below to open your password protected Excel spreadsheet without difficulty:

Step 1: Download and install PassFab for Excel on your Windows OS. Once you’ve successfully installed the program, launch it to commence password decryption.

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PassFab for Excel

Step 2: Next, import the locked Excel spreadsheet and then select an attack mode to recover your password.

Import the locked Excel file to PassFab for Excel

Step 3: Wait a few seconds for the process to complete, and your password is back on your fingertip. Now use the password provided to open your Excel file without delay. Learn more from our PassFab for Excel review here.

Recover Excel open password successfully

Method 2: Open Password Protected Excel File with VBA Code

Also, you can use VBA, a programming language developed by Microsoft to open your password-protected Excel files. This method won’t cost you money, however, you must be focused while typing the code. Any mistake on your part will cause you to start the process all over. Follow the steps given below to decrypt your password-protected Excel files:

Step 1: Open the Excel file that you want to decrypt using VBA.

Step 2: With the aid of these hotkeys Alt and F11, open the VBA Editor on your PC. Press these two keys simultaneously to complete this step.

Step 3: Now, you have to insert a module to Insert Menu. Once you do this, a window requesting for code will pop up on your screen. Enter the following lines of code below:


Sub UnProtectWorkbook()
On Error GoTo ErrorOccured
Dim pwd1 As String, ShtName As String
pwd1 = InputBox("Please Enter the password")
If pwd1 = "" Then Exit Sub
ShtName = "Workbook as a whole"
ActiveWorkbook.Unprotect Password:=pwd1
MsgBox "The workbook's structure has been Unprotected."
Exit Sub
error occurred:
MsgBox "Workbook could not be UnProtected - Password Incorrect"
Exit Sub
End Sub

When you are done entering the code above, hit the ‘Save’ button, and your Excel file will be saved as a macro-enabled workbook.

Method 3: Open Password Protected Excel File by Modifying the File Extension

Here is another method you can use to open your password-protected Excel file- modifying the file extension. This method works perfectly for Microsoft Office 2010 and previous versions. This means you can’t use it to unprotect new versions of Microsoft Office. If your Excel spreadsheet is compatible with this method, use the detailed step by step guide below to unprotected the file:

Step 1: Create Backup

Before using this method to unprotect your Excel file, you must create a backup for the file. Once a backup is created, rename the file and then change the extension from .csv or .xls to .zip.

Rename the Excel file to zip

Step 2: Unzip the File

On completing the step above, the next thing to do is unzip the content in the zip file. After unzipping, search for the file that ends with .xlm extension on your PC.

Step 3: Open the XLM File

Having found the file, open it with an XLM editor on your PC.

Open the xlm file in zip

Step 4: Unprotect the Excel File

When the file opens, press the ‘Ctrl’ + ‘F’ buttons simultaneously to search for the word ‘SheetProtection.’ Once you find this word, delete it and then save the file. Change the file extension from .zip to .csv or .xls.

Unprotect the Excel file with zip

And now, your Excel files are unprotected. So you can open all the Excel spreadsheets on your device without entering a password.

Method 4: Open Password Protected Excel File Without Password Online

For people who don’t want to install a program on their system, or use the last two methods given above, you can open your password protected Excel files online. However, you must know that your files are insecure when you use web-based programs. Third parties or intruders may access your Excel spreadsheet. Also, ensure that you have a strong internet connection to complete this method. Without a strong internet connection, you might be wasting your time using this method. Decrypt your Excel spreadsheet using a web-based program by taking the steps below:

Step 1: On your PC, open the webpage where you want to unprotect your Excel file online. Visit www.lostmypassword.com as your desired web-based program.

Open Password Protected Excel File Without Password Online

Step 2: Import the password-protected Excel file using the drag and drop feature or click on the ‘click here’ button.

Step 3: Now that your desired file has been imported, the password recovery process commences. Wait for the process to complete, then note down the cracked password and then use it to open your Excel file.

Conclusion

And that’s all on how to open a password protected Excel file. Which methods do you find easiest? Well, that’s left for you to decide. But we implore you to use the PassFab for Excel program to unprotected your Excel file. It’s fast, simple to use, and reliable. You don’t need to break your bank before you can access it. Download the program today to unprotected your Excel files.

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