The number of uses that can be given to the Excel tool is impressive. Although its main use as an office tool is in the area of calculations and finances. Documents of this type need a specific type of protection for data security. What change file status in read-only mode.
Data security is the priority of any company, because massive data loss of any kind can mean a delay in daily operations or monetary losses. The best solution for this type of problem is prevention. What better way to protect your data from errors than by protecting the file from Standing out.
How can I lock an Excel file for read-only?
Changing an Excel file to read mode in the most current versions of the application does not represent much difficulty. It is a quite visible option to apply it just when you finish editing the document.
- Open the document you want to protect and go to the File menu. An easy way to access the file menu is with the shortcut command Alt + A.
- In the Information section click on the option Protect the book and then the Always open as read-only option.
- When performing this action, the change is immediate and the option The protected book is highlighted in yellow.
- For the changes to take effect, close the file and save the changes made.
To protect the file with a version of Excel 2003 You do it from the Tools menu – Options and finally, Safety.
How to remove or unlock the reading mode of an Excel?
You may already have Excel workbooks that have these restrictions enabled, If you are the author of the book, simply enter again File, information, protected book and click the first option to remove read-only mode.
Why are Excel files open in read-only mode?
As homeowners, many turn to this alternative to protect your files and provide security to your data. This mode allows these users to be the only ones with permissions that cover editing and modification. Then, if you open an Excel file and it appears in read-only mode, means it is a protected document.
Can an Excel be edited in read-only mode?
Now, when another user accesses the file, you will see a message that says the following: “The author wants me to open the book”.name.xls'With read-only access unless you need to save changes. Do you want to open it with read-only access? “.
In case the user makes changes to the file and tries to save them, another warning message will appear stating: We cannot save ‘filetitle.xls’ because it is a read-only file.
To save your changes, save the workbook under a new name in a different location. User can save changes, but you must save the document as a separate file.
This is a way of “dodge” the read-only restriction, because you can modify the file, add formulas to it, edit the fields, add tables or modify what interests you. When you want to save the changes you just have to save it as another file with the option “Save as”.
Other ways to protect an Excel file
In case you want to be more specific when protecting an Excel file, newer versions have more protection options. To access these options go to the menu File (Alt + A) then in the Information section and finally, the Protect Book option.
Protect current sheet
If you have multiple sheets in a document, but you only want them to have access to edit some, you can do it from this option. You may indicate what kind of restrictions the users have on the sheet, how to format cells, Columns and rows. Insert or delete items or even if they can select cells or not.
Protect the book structure
Protects the structure of a workbook from making changes like adding new sheets. For it to work is I need to put a password, But in case you lose the password there is no way to recover it. It is recommended to keep the password in a safe place.
Encrypt with password
By selecting this option the user who wants to access the file and open it You must have the password assigned by the author of the document. Without the password you will not be able to open it. You can put the password even with macros and in case you want to delete it you can always do it later.
