You’ve built a great spreadsheet, and then someone types over a formula and breaks everything. Protecting the sheet stops that, while still letting people fill in the cells they’re supposed to. Here’s how to do it properly.
Quick answer
- Select the cells people should be able to edit.
- Press Ctrl + 1 → Protection tab → untick Locked → OK.
- Go to Review → Protect Sheet.
- Optionally enter a password, choose what users can do, and click OK.
The 3 levels of protection
| Type | What it stops | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Protect Sheet | Editing locked cells, formulas and formatting on one sheet | Review → Protect Sheet |
| Protect Workbook | Adding, deleting, renaming, moving or unhiding sheets | Review → Protect Workbook |
| Encrypt with Password | Opening the file at all without the password | File → Info → Protect Workbook → Encrypt with Password |
Step 1: Unlock the input cells
Here’s the part most people miss: every cell is “Locked” by default. Locking only takes effect when you protect the sheet. So first unlock the cells users need to type in:
- Select the input cells (hold Ctrl to select several areas).
- Press Ctrl + 1 (Format Cells).
- On the Protection tab, untick Locked.
- Click OK.
Tip: give input cells a light yellow fill so users know where to type.
Step 2: Protect the sheet
- Go to Review → Protect Sheet.
- Type a password (optional, and you’ll need it to unprotect).
- Choose what users may still do. Common choices:
- Select locked cells / unlocked cells
- Format columns (so they can widen them)
- Sort and Use AutoFilter (they also need unlocked data cells to sort)
- Click OK and confirm the password.
Now formulas are safe, and users can still type in the unlocked cells. Try typing in a formula cell, and Excel shows a warning.
Hide formulas too (optional)
Select the formula cells → Ctrl + 1 → Protection → tick Hidden, then protect the sheet. The formula no longer appears in the formula bar.
Protect the workbook structure
Review → Protect Workbook stops people from deleting, renaming, moving or unhiding sheets. Use it to hide a “Lists” or “Settings” sheet safely.
Password-protect the whole file
- File → Info → Protect Workbook → Encrypt with Password.
- Enter a strong password and confirm it.
- Save the file.
⚠️ Important: if you forget this password, Microsoft can’t recover it, and the file may be lost for good. Store it in a password manager.
Let different people edit different ranges
On Windows, Review → Allow Edit Ranges lets you give specific ranges their own passwords, for example one area for HR and another for Finance. Set it up before protecting the sheet.
How to unprotect
Go to Review → Unprotect Sheet (or Unprotect Workbook) and enter the password if one was set.
Protection in Google Sheets
- Go to Data → Protect sheets and ranges.
- Choose Range or Sheet (and “Except certain cells” for input areas).
- Click Set permissions and choose who can edit, or “Show a warning when editing.”
Google Sheets uses people’s accounts instead of passwords. See how to share a Google Sheet and control who can edit.
Know the limits
- Sheet and workbook protection prevent accidents. They’re not strong security, because determined users can get around them.
- For confidential data, use Encrypt with Password and control who has the file.
- Keep an unprotected master copy somewhere safe.
Quick summary
- Unlock input cells first (Ctrl + 1 → Protection → untick Locked).
- Then use Review → Protect Sheet.
- Protect Workbook stops sheet changes. Encrypt with Password stops opening the file.
- Don’t lose encryption passwords.