Unlock a protected Excel sheet
Remove worksheet and workbook editing protection from an .xlsx or .xlsm file. Drop it in below — it’s processed entirely in your browser and never uploaded.
What this removes
- Worksheet protection — the “this cell/sheet is protected” lock that blocks editing.
- Workbook protection — the lock on adding, deleting or reordering sheets.
This is not decryption. If your file asks for a password just to open it, it’s genuinely encrypted (AES) and this tool can’t help — that needs password recovery, which is coming soon.
How it works
An .xlsx file is really a ZIP archive of XML. Worksheet protection is stored as a single
<sheetProtection> tag inside each sheet’s XML — a flag the spreadsheet app
honours voluntarily. We open the archive in memory, remove those tags, and repackage the file. The
data, formulas and formatting are untouched; only the “read-only” flag is gone.
Is this legal?
Removing your own spreadsheet’s editing protection is a routine administrative task — the protection is a convenience flag, not security. Only use this on files you own or are authorised to edit.
Frequently asked
Does the file get uploaded? No. Everything happens in your browser; close the tab and it’s gone.
Will it work on .xls (old format)? Not yet — only the modern .xlsx / .xlsm formats.
It says my file is encrypted. Then it has a password to open. Editing-protection removal can’t recover that — use our pay-on-success recovery service instead.