Excel Password Remover - Online & Free
Remove sheet and workbook protection passwords from .xlsx files instantly, right in your browser. Free, no signup, and your file never leaves your device.
Removes editing locks without the password; encrypted files need theirs. More
This takes off editing locks - sheet protection, workbook structure, read-only passwords and protected ranges - without needing the password, and it does the same for a legacy .xls in one step.
If a file is encrypted and demands a password just to open, you will be asked for that password and the file decrypted here in your browser; a password you don't have cannot be recovered or guessed. Only use on files you own or have permission to modify.
Drop your files here or choose filesTap to choose files
Opened on your device - never uploaded · up to 50MB
Supports .xlsx, .xlsm, .xls · or paste a file from your clipboard
Know the password? Remove it in Excel
If you still have the open password, Excel clears it without any tool. Open the file, then File › Info › Protect Workbook › Encrypt with Password, delete the password, and Save. A sheet-protection password comes off from the Review tab instead.
- Open the workbook in Excel and enter the password when asked.
- Go to File › Info › Protect Workbook › Encrypt with Password.
- Clear the password box and click OK.
- Save the file - it now opens without a password.
In Google Sheets there is no open-password equivalent: import the file, or use File › Download to save an unprotected copy.
How to Remove a Password from an Excel Sheet Online, Free
- Drop your files in - One .xlsx or .xlsm workbook, or a whole batch at once. They are processed locally and never uploaded.
- Automatic removal - Every protected sheet, workbook structure lock, read-only password, and protected range is stripped. You don't need to know the password.
- Check what came off - Each file reports the sheets it unlocked by name and exactly which actions the protection had been blocking.
- Download - Get your unprotected workbook, ready for editing in Excel, Google Sheets, or LibreOffice. Batches come back as a ZIP.
Why This Works Without the Password
An .xlsx workbook is really a ZIP archive full of XML files. When an author protects a sheet, Excel doesn't encrypt anything - it just writes a <sheetProtection> element (containing a hash of the password) into that sheet's XML, and refuses to let you edit locked cells while the element is present. Workbook structure locks work the same way via a <workbookProtection> element.
This Excel password remover opens the file in your browser, deletes those protection elements, and repackages the workbook. Nothing is cracked, guessed, or brute-forced - the lock is simply taken off. That's why it is instant even for large files, and why it works when the password has been long forgotten.
The Five Excel Locks, and Which Ones Come Off
"Password protected" covers five different mechanisms in Excel. Four of them are removable flags; only the last is real encryption. This tool takes off all four in a single pass and tells you which ones your file had.
| What you see | The lock | Removable here |
|---|---|---|
| File opens, but cells can't be edited | Sheet protection | Yes |
| Sheets can't be added, renamed, or reordered | Workbook structure protection | Yes |
| Opens read-only, or asks for a password to modify | Write-reservation password | Yes |
| Most cells editable, but a few ranges ask for a password | Allow-edit ranges | Yes |
| Password demanded before anything appears | File encryption | Only with the password - you will be asked for it |
A quick test: if you can open the workbook and see your data, whatever is stopping you from editing it is a removable flag and this tool will take it off without any password. If Excel demands a password before showing you anything, the contents are genuinely encrypted: supply that password and the file is decrypted here, but a password nobody has cannot be recovered by this or any other honest tool. Drop the file above either way - it will tell you which case you are in.
How This Compares to Other Excel Password Removers
Most tools that rank for "excel password remover" upload your spreadsheet to a server before touching it. Here is how the approaches differ:
| Tool | Where your file goes | Approach |
|---|---|---|
| ExcelTool.io (this page) | Nowhere - processed in your browser | Free, no signup, no size cap; removes sheet, workbook, read-only and protected-range locks from a whole batch at once, without the password |
| Aspose Unlock | Uploaded to Aspose servers and retained there temporarily | Free tier with sign-in and plan limits for larger files |
| GroupDocs Unlock | Uploaded to GroupDocs servers and retained there temporarily | Free, but you must already know the password to remove it |
| Desktop password-cracking suites | Stays local, but requires installing software | Brute-force file-open encryption; slow, paid, and never guaranteed |
Competitor descriptions last checked 2026-07-17 against each linked page; see those pages for current limits and pricing.
Two differences matter most. First, this really does work without the password: some free unlockers only strip protection after you type the password in, and at least one popular uploader has been seen reporting success while handing back a file whose sheets are still protected. Second, nothing is uploaded, so there is no 24-hour server copy of your spreadsheet to trust or delete. In one pass it clears sheet protection, workbook structure, the read-only (write-reservation) password and protected-range passwords, keeps the macros in an .xlsm, and returns a batch together as a ZIP.
The cracking suites solve a different problem: file-open encryption. If your file opens fine but won't let you edit - the far more common case - there is nothing to crack, and this free in-browser remover unlocks it instantly.
Have a Protected .xls File?
Modern .xlsx and macro-enabled .xlsm workbooks work directly. Legacy .xls files (Excel 97-2003) use a different internal format, so run those through our XLS to XLSX converter first. Sheet protection never blocks reading, so the converted .xlsx copy comes out editable.
Limitations and Fair Use
- .xlsx and .xlsm only - Drop a legacy .xls in anyway and you will be pointed at the converter; the tool identifies the format rather than just refusing the file
- Encryption needs its password - A file requiring a password to open is decrypted here if you supply that password; without it the contents cannot be read by this or any other honest tool, because the password is the key
- Legal use only - Only use on files you own or have permission to modify
Test Excel Protection Safely
Want to see exactly what this remover does before trusting it with a real spreadsheet? Use our published test workbooks - invented data, CC0-licensed, with SHA-256 checksums and expected results in the sample Excel files lab:
- Sheet-protected workbook - both worksheets locked with the public password "excel123"; the remover unlocks them without it.
- Structure-protected workbook - sheets cannot be added, deleted, or renamed until the lock is removed.
- Macro-enabled .xlsm fixture - not protected; shows the remover accepts .xlsm files and reports honestly when there is nothing to remove.
A file-open-encrypted fixture is deliberately not published: real encryption cannot be removed without the password, and the lab page explains why. Educators and support teams are welcome to link or embed these fixtures - no attribution required. Suggested link text: Free Excel protection test files (CC0) - https://www.exceltool.io/sample-excel-files
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, it's 100% free. There is no signup, no watermark, no file limit, and no premium tier. The remover runs entirely in your browser, so it also works offline once the page has loaded.
Upload your .xlsx file above. The tool scans the workbook, deletes the sheet protection and workbook protection records, and gives you an unlocked copy to download - no password required. It works because Excel stores sheet protection as a removable flag inside the file, not as encryption.
An .xlsx file is a ZIP archive of XML files. Sheet protection is saved as a <sheetProtection> element containing a password hash that Excel checks only when you try to edit. This tool removes those elements (and <workbookProtection> for workbook structure locks) from the XML, so nothing is cracked or guessed - the lock is simply taken off.
Yes, if you know the password. Enter it when prompted and the workbook is decrypted in your browser, giving you a copy that opens without one - the encryption is removed along with any sheet protection underneath. What no tool can do is get past a password you don't have: that password is the encryption key, so without it the contents genuinely cannot be read. Be wary of any service promising otherwise.
Macro-enabled .xlsm workbooks are fully supported - the unlocked copy is returned as .xlsm with its macros intact. Legacy .xls files (Excel 97-2003) use a different internal format, so convert them to .xlsx first with our XLS to XLSX converter - sheet protection never blocks reading, so the conversion works, and the converted .xlsx can then come back here to have the protection taken off.
Yes. That lock is a separate <fileSharing> record holding a write-reservation password, and it is removed in the same pass as sheet and workbook protection. If Excel opens your file but only in read-only mode, or prompts for a password to modify while offering a read-only button, this is the lock you have.
Yes. Drop as many .xlsx or .xlsm files as you like and each is unlocked in the same pass, with a per-file summary of what was removed. A single file downloads directly; multiple files come back together as a ZIP.
Many online unlockers only strip protection once you have typed the password in, and some report success while quietly handing back a file that is still protected. This tool removes sheet protection, workbook structure protection, the read-only (write-reservation) password and protected-range passwords without the password - because those are removable records, not encryption. A password that is needed just to open the file is different: supply it and the workbook is decrypted on your device; without it, nothing honest can read it.
No. All processing happens entirely in your browser using JavaScript. Your file never leaves your device - there is no upload, and so no 24-hour server copy to trust or delete. That makes this safe to use even for confidential or company spreadsheets.
There is no daily limit, no account, and no premium tier, and nothing is uploaded to a server. Because the file is processed in your browser, the in-page uploader accepts workbooks up to 50 MB - large enough for almost any real spreadsheet, and usually far more than upload-based removers allow on a free tier. You can unlock as many files as you like, and a batch comes back together as a ZIP.
Only use this tool on files you own or have permission to modify - for example, spreadsheets where the password was lost or the author has left. Removing protection from files you don't own may violate terms of service or laws in your jurisdiction.
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