When you set a worksheet as protected in Excel, no one else can alter it. Your coworkers should have access to the sheet, but they should not be able to make changes to the data you’ve monitored and plotted. You can know whether you’ve safeguarded the spreadsheet’s contents or if someone else has protected it from you in a matter of seconds.
Edit the Sheet
Editing the document if it’s been protected will be very difficult. When you attempt to make changes to a cell or chart that is protected, you will be presented with a dialog box asking whether you want to unprotect the sheet. When you attempt to modify, reformat, or remove cells in a protected spreadsheet, you may get this notice. The notification will show even if you don’t choose a cell at the highest level of security, making this the fastest way to verify protection.
Check Workbook Protection
You may not be able to modify a sheet if the sheet is protected. The document’s creator may have restricted your access to change any sheet in the workbook by encrypting it. To see whether all sheets are locked, modify them all at the same time. A third option is to inspect workbook protection in the properties window of the application itself. In Microsoft Excel Course, choose “Tools” from the menu bar, select “Options,” and then select the Security option in the following box. If the worksheet isn’t already locked, you may do it from this tab.
Use the Tools Protection Menu
There is a sub-menu in the Tools menu that deals with the protection of individual worksheets. Select “Protection” from the “Tools” menu. Left of the main menu, a new one will slide open. The first choice in this menu is “Unprotect Sheet” if the worksheet has been protected. This option says “Protect Sheet” if the sheet has not been protected.
Examine the Sheet Tab
The workbook’s spreadsheets are listed at the bottom of the screen, immediately above the status bar. To access the editing menu for the current sheet’s tab, use a right-click. The sheet may be deleted, renamed, or copied using this menu. This menu will include the option “Unprotect Sheet” if the sheet has been protected. Sprintzeal There is a “Protect Sheet” option available if it has not been protected.
Sheet Icon
Excel’s Insider edition launched this intriguing new feature in May of 2020. (aka public beta version). A padlock symbol appears in front of the tab name whenever worksheet protection is enabled. Whether you want to know if a worksheet is protected or not, this is a wonderful little indication. If there are no complications, users expect this handy little tool to appear on the monthly channel in the next several months.
Unprotect Button Appears
Check out the Protect buttons on the Review tab of your Excel Ribbon if you believe a sheet, you’re looking at is protected. Unprotect Sheet is the first button’s name if your Active Sheet is protected.
Disabled Ribbon Buttons
If you find a large number of the buttons on your Excel Ribbon are disabled, this might be an indication that sheet protection has been activated. The Home tab’s formatting buttons are all grayed out in the following example.
Disabled Menu Buttons
When you right-click on a protected sheet, your menu buttons may become disabled, just as they do when you right-click on buttons on your Ribbon. If you see that a lot of your buttons are grayed out, you may have triggered a kind of sheet protection.
Use VBA To Display a List
Tests and a summary list of any protected sheets in your worksheet may both be performed using VBA code. The protected method, which returns True or False depending on whether the worksheet object provided through it is protected, is seen below.
Excel formulas cannot be edited
Excel is no exception when it comes to being a frustrating software since it doesn’t do what you want it to or allow you to alter something you should be able to. It’s just a handful of core issues that may prevent Excel from allowing the alteration of formulae, such as autosave activity and workbook protection schemes.
Excel Autosave
There have been instances when Excel has been unresponsive during the process of creating an autosave backup to a disk or a networked device. Look for an indication that says “Saving Autosave Version” at the bottom of your Excel window. The autosave feature is activated when you leave a cell unattended for an extended period of time without typing or clicking. In many cases, Excel’s inability to let you do a task is explained by autosave, particularly when you have a sluggish processor or network connection.
Locked Cell Format
The locked cell format prevents access to a cell’s contents. The cell may or may not be selectable depending on the settings. When the cell is configured as locked and the worksheet is protected, its consequences are altered. Right-click on a cell and choose “Format Cells,” then select the “Protection” tab from the drop-down menu. Leaving the “Locked” check box unchecked will make the cell selectable even if the worksheet is password-protected.
