Microsoft Excel XP Tutorial

Protecting a worksheet

When you protect a worksheet, you prevent users from viewing or making changes to the contents, depending on the protection options you use:

• If you want to prevent users from viewing certain rows or columns, hide them before you protect the worksheet using the Hide command in the Format Rows or Columns submenu.
• If you want to prevent users from viewing formulas in particular cells:

1. 1. Select the cells whose formulas you want to hide.
   2. From the Format menu, select Cells.

The Format Cells dialog opens.

1. 1. Select the Protection tab.

1. 1. Check the Hidden checkbox.
   2. Click OK.

• If you want users to be able to enter or edit data into certain cells, but not others, you must unlock those cells you want them to be able to use before you protect the worksheet:
  1. Select the cells you want users to be able to edit.
  2. From the Format menu, select Cells.

The Format Cells dialog opens.

• 1. Select the Protection tab.

• 1. Uncheck the Locked checkbox.
  2. Click OK.

Once you’ve set the properties you want for the individual rows, columns, and cells in the worksheet, you can protect the worksheet. To do so:

1. From the Tools menu, select Protection, and then select Protect Sheet from the submenu.

The Protect Sheet dialog opens.

1. To protect the contents of the worksheet, with the exception of any cells you unlocked, make sure the Contents checkbox is checked.
2. Selecting Objects protects graphics, charts, and comments in the worksheet.
3. Selecting Scenarios prevents users from changing and deleting scenarios.
4. To password-protect the worksheet, enter a password into the Password field.

You’ll be prompted to re-enter the password. Do so to confirm the password and click OK.

1. Click OK.

To remove protection from a worksheet, select Protection and then Unprotect Sheet from the Tools menu. If you entered a password when you protected the sheet, you’ll be prompted to re-enter it now. Do so, and then click OK.

Section Review In this section, you learned: How to work with worksheets Basic formulas Constructing a formula Excel functions Using the formula palette Absolute and relative cell references Protecting a worksheet