Assigning a Password for Opening a Workbook

When assigning a password to a workbook, you can prevent unauthorized users from opening the workbook and/or editing its file. You set a password for opening the workbook file when you're dealing with a spreadsheet whose data is of a sufficiently sensitive nature that only a select group of employees should have access to it (such as spreadsheets dealing with personnel information). Of course, after you assign a password to the workbook, you must supply this password to the people who need access to make it possible for them to open the workbook file.

You have a couple options for assigning passwords:

• Assign a password for opening the workbook.
  You'd assign such a password when you're dealing with a spreadsheet whose data needs to be viewed and printed by different users, none of whom are authorized to make changes to the entries.
• Assign a password for modifying the workbook. For example, you might assign a password for modifying a workbook before distributing it company wide. This password would be in place while the workbook is being edited and reviewed.

With a spreadsheet that contains data that's for the eyes of only a select few but that is not to be modified even by those authorized to open it for review or printing purposes, you need to assign both a password for opening the file and a password for modifying its contents or structure.

To assign a password to open the workbook and/or a password to modify the file, follow these steps:

1. Save the workbook by choosing File → Save As if you've already saved the file at least once or by choosing File → Save (Ctrl+S) if the file's never been saved.
   The Save As dialog box opens.
2. Select General Options on the Tools pop-up menu to open the Save Options dialog box.
3. To assign a password to open the file, type the password in the Password to Open text box.
   When entering the password, it can be up to 255 characters long and consist of a combination of letters and numbers with spaces. Keep in mind when using letters, however, that passwords are case-sensitive, so opensesame and OpenSesame are not the same password because of the different use of upper- and lowercase letters. As you type the password, Excel masks the actual characters you type by rendering them as asterisks (*) in the text box.
   Note that Excel automatically assigns an Office 97/2000 Compatible-type encryption when you assign a password to open the file. You can use the Advanced button to assign another type of encryption, but I wouldn't fool with these options unless you really know what you're doing or have been instructed to use another type by someone in your IT department.
   When entering passwords, make sure that you don't enter something that you can't easily reproduce or something that you can't remember. You must be able to immediately reproduce the password in order to assign it, and you must be able to reproduce it later if you ever want to be able to open or change the darned workbook ever again.
4. To assign a password to modify the file, select the Password to Modify text box and then type in this password.
   When entering the password for modifying the workbook, be sure that you assign a different password from the one you just assigned for opening the file (if you did assign a password for opening the file in the previous step).
5. (Optional) If you want Excel to automatically create a backup of the workbook each time it's saved, select the Always Create Backup check box. If you want the password-protected workbook to open in read-only mode (so that changes can only be saved a in new file), select the Read Only - Recommended check box.
6. Click OK to open the Confirm Password dialog box.
7. Type the password exactly as you entered it in the Password to Open text box (or the Password to Modify text box, if you didn't use the Password to Open text box) and then click OK.
   If you just entered a password in the Password to Open text box, you need to reenter this password in the Confirm Password dialog box.
   If you just entered a password in the Password to Modify text box, you need only to reproduce this password in the Confirm Password dialog box.
   However, if you entered a password in both the Password to Open text box and the Password to Modify text box, you must reproduce the password entered in the Password to Open text box in the first Confirm Password dialog box and then reproduce the password you entered in the Password to Modify text box in the second Confirm Password dialog box, which appears after you click OK in the first Confirm Password dialog box.
8. To save the password-protected version of the file under a new filename or in a different folder, edit the name in the File Name text box and then select the new folder on the Save In drop-down list.
9. Click the Save button to save the workbook with the password to open and/or password to modify.
   Excel then saves the file if this is the first time you've saved it. If not, the program displays an alert dialog box indicating that the file you're saving already exists and asking you if you want to replace the existing file.
10. If the alert dialog box asking you if you want to replace the existing file appears, click Yes.