Excel: Recovering Data from a Password Protected Sheet

Last reviewed: October 18, 1994
Article ID: Q29326
The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Excel for the Macintosh, versions 1.x, 2.2, 3.0

SUMMARY

Microsoft Excel cannot recover lost or forgotten passwords. If the document was protected using the Protect Document option on the Options menu, there are two options for copying information from a protected worksheet. If the document was protected using the password option in the Save As dialog box in Microsoft Excel 2.20, there is no way to recover the document.

  1. For cells that were protected with the Locked and/or Hidden options:

    a. Select the cells to be copied.

    b. From the Edit menu, choose Copy.

    c. Open a new document.

    d. From the Edit menu, choose Paste.

  2. For cells that were not protected with the Locked and/or Hidden options, follow the procedure above (which does not retain formulas), or to retain formulas:

    a. Select an unprotected cell to be copied.

    b. Select the information in the Formula Bar.

    c. From the Edit menu, choose Copy.

    d. Activate (or open) the Worksheet to copy into.

    e. Select the cell to contain the information. From the Edit menu,

          choose Paste.
    

    f. Repeat for all unprotected cells for which you want to retain

          the formulas.
    

Note: if a cell is hidden and contains formulas, it will only pull across the returned value.


KBCategory: kbusage
KBSubcategory:

Additional reference words: 1.0 1.00 1.03 1.04 1.06 1.5 1.50 2.2
2.20 3.0 3.00


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Last reviewed: October 18, 1994
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