How to Unprotect an Excel Workbook Without the Password

Method 1 — Remove workbookProtection via XML edit (best method)

An .xlsx file is a ZIP archive containing XML files. Workbook protection is stored as a single element inside xl/workbook.xml. Deleting it removes the protection completely.

1. Make a backup copy of your workbook. Never modify the original directly.
2. Rename the copy from workbook.xlsx to workbook.zip. If file extensions are hidden, enable them in File Explorer's View tab.
3. Open the ZIP with 7-Zip, WinRAR, or the built-in Windows ZIP handler.
4. Navigate to xl/workbook.xml. Right-click and choose Edit (or extract, edit in Notepad++, VS Code, etc.).
5. Find the <workbookProtection element. It looks like this:

<workbookProtection workbookPassword="..."" lockStructure="1" lockWindows="1"/>

6. Delete the entire line containing <workbookProtection from the root <workbook> element. Make sure no trailing whitespace or empty tags are left behind.
7. Save the file — if editing inside the ZIP, the archiver prompts to update the archive. Accept.
8. Rename back from .zip to .xlsx.
9. Open in Excel — protection is gone. You can now rename, delete, hide, and unhide sheets freely. If Excel warns about content, choose Yes — it will preserve all data.

This method works on .xlsx, .xlsm (macro-enabled), .xltx (template), and .xltm (macro-enabled template) files from any modern Excel version including 365, 2021, 2019, and 2016.

Method 2 — VBA macro to unprotect workbook

If you prefer not to edit XML manually, a short VBA macro can remove workbook protection. This works on both .xlsx and .xlsm files, and is especially useful for batch processing multiple workbooks.

1. Open the protected workbook in Excel.
2. Press Alt + F11 to open the VBA editor.
3. Insert → Module and paste the following code:

Sub UnprotectWorkbook()
    Dim i As Integer, j As Integer, k As Integer
    Dim l As Integer, m As Integer, n As Integer
    On Error Resume Next
    For i = 65 To 66: For j = 65 To 66: For k = 65 To 66
    For l = 65 To 66: For m = 65 To 66: For n = 32 To 126
        ActiveWorkbook.Unprotect Chr(i) & Chr(j) & Chr(k) & _
            Chr(l) & Chr(m) & Chr(n)
        If ActiveWorkbook.ProtectStructure = False Then
            MsgBox "Workbook unprotected!"
            Exit Sub
        End If
    Next: Next: Next: Next: Next: Next
End Sub

4. Press F5 to run the macro.
5. If the workbook password uses the legacy SHA-1 hash (pre-Office 365), the macro finds a matching dummy password within seconds. For SHA-512 protected workbooks, the loop is too slow — use Method 1 instead.

Method 3 — Google Sheets round-trip

Google Sheets ignores Excel-specific workbook protection metadata. Importing and re-exporting strips the protection:

1. Go to sheets.google.com and create a new blank spreadsheet.
2. File → Import → Upload and select your protected .xlsx.
3. Choose "Replace spreadsheet" to import the entire workbook.
4. File → Download → Microsoft Excel (.xlsx).

The downloaded file has no workbook structure protection. Downside: Google Sheets may alter some formatting, drop macros (.xlsm becomes .xlsx), and has a sheet count limit. Use this method only for simple workbooks.

Method 4 — Copy sheets to a new workbook

A quick manual workaround when you only need the data:

1. Open the protected workbook (it opens in read-only mode for structure operations, but the sheets are visible).
2. Right-click a sheet tab and choose "Move or Copy".
3. Select "(new book)" and check "Create a copy".
4. Repeat for each sheet. The new workbook has no structure protection.

This works even when the workbook is protected. The protection only blocks operations on the protected workbook's own structure — copying sheets out to a new workbook is not restricted. If "Move or Copy" is greyed out, use Method 1 or 3 instead.

Unhiding Very Hidden Sheets

Excel has three sheet visibility states: Visible, Hidden (unhide via right-click), and Very Hidden (xlVeryHidden, can only be unhidden via VBA). Workbook structure protection prevents all unhiding, even via VBA.

Once you remove the <workbookProtection> element using Method 1, very hidden sheets become accessible. Open the VBA editor (Alt + F11), select the sheet in the Project Explorer, and set its Visible property to -1 - xlSheetVisible in the Properties panel. The sheet reappears in the tab bar.

Workbook Protection vs File-Open Password

It is critical to distinguish between workbook structure protection and a file-open password:

• Workbook protection (this guide): The file opens, you see the content, but sheet operations are restricted. This is a hash-based gate, structurally removable.
• File-open password (also called "Password to Open" or "Encrypt with Password"): Excel asks for a password before showing any content. This is real AES encryption. None of the methods above work for this.

If Excel prompts for a password before the workbook opens at all, you need cryptographic password recovery. See our Excel password recovery guide for that scenario.

Frequently Asked Questions