Unprotect Excel Worksheet : Crack Password

Sometimes we come across an Excel file that can be opened and viewed but can’t be edited, since it is has been protected? And when we try to unprotect, it asks for a password.


Here are a couple of ways to overcome the problem.

Scenario 1: If the cells that you are interested in are selectable, then you can create editable copies by simply selecting the cells, copying the contents, and pasting them into a new worksheet or file. The new worksheet would be perfectly editable. While, this may appear too simple, many people are not aware that this works.
Scenario 2: There is a possibility that the creator of the file has disabled cell selection while protecting the worksheet. Obviously you can’t use the first method to deal with such worksheets, because without the ability to select the cells you can’t possibly copy the contents. A better way to find the password is described in JE McGimpsey's site: http://mcgimpsey.com/excel/removepwords.html which provides a macro to extract the password and unprotect the worksheet.