Remove protection from Excel free
Remove Excel protection online — no software to download, no registration required.
Drag your Excel file here
or click to select
Supports .xlsx, .xls and .xlsm (max. 5MB)
What Protection We Remove
Sheet Protection
Removes locked-cell restrictions so you can edit any cell, insert rows, and modify formulas freely.
Workbook Structure
Unlocks the workbook structure so you can add, rename, move, or delete sheets without limits.
Forgotten Passwords
No need to remember the original password. We remove protection entirely — no cracking involved.
What types of protection do we remove?
Sheets with locked cells
You can't edit certain cells
Workbooks with protected structure
You can't add, delete, or hide sheets
Encrypted files
If Excel asks for a password to open the file, it's real encryption and cannot be removed.
.xlsx files are ZIPs with XML inside. Protection is just a configuration tag, not real encryption.
What Happens to Your File
A transparent look at each step of the unlocking process
Secure Upload via HTTPS
Your file is transferred over an encrypted connection. It never touches an unencrypted channel.
In-Memory Processing
The file is read entirely in RAM — it is never written to disk or any persistent storage.
XML Tag Removal
We locate and remove sheetProtection and workbookProtection tags from the internal XML, the same step you would do manually.
Instant Download
The clean file is sent back to your browser and the server copy is discarded immediately.
This is the exact same technique as the manual ZIP+XML method — we just automate it so you don't risk corrupting the file.
Supported Formats
Excel 2007+
Excel 97–2003
Macro-enabled
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, completely free. No hidden costs, no premium tiers, no subscription needed. Process as many files as you need.
No registration required. Just upload your file and get the unlocked version instantly. No email, no signup.
Works in all modern browsers including Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. Mobile browsers are also supported.
Sheet protection prevents editing cells, rows, or formulas within a file you can still open. File encryption requires a password just to open the file. This tool removes sheet and workbook protection but cannot bypass file-level encryption.
Absolutely. We only remove the protection metadata — your data, formulas, formatting, charts, and macros remain completely intact.
Yes. Our tool detects and removes protection from every sheet in the workbook plus the workbook structure itself, all in a single step.