How to unprotect an Excel sheet without knowing the password?

Today we will tell you in detail how to unlock your spreadsheet. Microsoft Office package and as a result, get all the data from there. We will look at the simplest method that can be done with just an archiver and a notepad.

So, first of all, we need to change the file extension from .xlsx format on .zip. If you do not see the file extension, you need to go to the "Tools" folder menu, select "Folder Options" there and then select the "View" tab, find the item "Hide extensions for registered file types" and uncheck the box, then save the changes - now you see the extensions of all files.

Let's say right away that this method is only suitable for new versions of the Excel file - .xlsx. If you have a blocked .xls file, it must first be saved as .xlsx.

Now the archiver comes into play. We open the renamed .zip file and see several folders and files. We need a folder xl, in it - worksheets, and in it - the file sheet1.xml.

We will open this file with standard Windows notepad, or any other substitute.

Using text search (Ctrl+F) we look for the combination sheetProtection. We will need something like this block:

This is what we delete, save the file, close the archive and rename it back to .xlsx. Voila!

It should be said that sheet1.xml corresponds to the first sheet. If, for example, the fourth sheet is password protected, then we need to remove this block in sheet4.xml.

So, today we learned how, with a few simple steps, you can access your Excel sheet. See you on the pages of our website!