Unlock Excel Workbook without Software TL;DR Key Takeaways : Verify the Excel file is protected by checking for restricted actions or password prompts when attempting to unprotect it.

A recommended approach to secure your most private documents — whether it’s a PDF, Word file, or Excel spreadsheet — is to lock them with a passcode. While this does help keep sensitive ...

Whether you’ve forgotten the password or received a protected file from someone else, unlocking an Excel spreadsheet without the password may seem like an insurmountable challenge.

Step 2: Save As a different file type (RTF is the go-to for Word docs) Step 3: Open new document, convert back. Edit: YMMV, I can bypass Word password protection pretty easily, but not Excel.