Forgot Your Excel Password?
Excel password recovery depends entirely on the version that saved the file. Here's everything you need to know, ranked by recovery chance.
Password to open
Encrypted file. Needs real recovery or legacy key recovery.
Password to modify
Soft edit lock. Usually solved without GPU recovery.
Sheet/VBA protection
Often bypassable. Should not be confused with file encryption.
Proof-first paid recovery
Free Office check. $34.99 release only if recovery works.
Analysis is free. Recovery is version-aware — different Office versions get different treatment. You see proof before paying. Full password or unlocked file release is one clear payment.
$34.99
one release price
Excel Versions & Recovery Chances
Excel 97 · 2000 · XP · 2003 (.xls)
100% GUARANTEEDExcel files from this era use 40-bit RC4 encryption with a well-documented mathematical weakness. Regardless of the password, the file can be decrypted. Turnaround: hours.
Excel 2007 (.xlsx)
~40-60% (dictionary attack)AES-128 with SHA-1 key derivation (50,000 rounds). Recoverable if password is a real word, name, date, or simple pattern. Random passwords over 10 chars are infeasible.
Excel 2010 (.xlsx)
~30-50%AES-128 with SHA-512 (100,000 rounds). Same attack strategy as 2007 but slower due to stronger key derivation.
Excel 2013 & 2016+ (.xlsx)
~20-40%AES-256 SHA-512. Only weaker passwords or known patterns are recoverable. For short passwords under 8 characters, success rates are higher.
Excel 365 · 2019+ (.xlsx)
Weak passwords onlyAES-256 with enforced minimum password strength. Only obviously weak passwords (common words, 'password123' style) are recoverable.
Old Excel .xls files — always recoverable
If your spreadsheet was originally created and saved in Excel 97 through Excel 2003, recovery is mathematically guaranteed. Our GPU recovery typically completes in 2–6 hours.