can I password protect a range within a worksheet?

Hi Matthew,

To protect the contents of an Excel worksheet, use the Tools menu option, and select Protect > Protect Sheet. A password can then be provided.

Please note that this will protect the contents of that entire worksheet. This is because Excel protects worksheet cells that are "Locked"- and all Excel worksheet cells come locked as standard.


Your request is to protect a specific range. You must first "Unlock" the entire worksheet. TIP. use the CTRL+A keystoke to highlight an entire worksheet. Then go to the Format menu option, select Cells and within the the Protection Tab sheet untick the Locked option

Next highlight the specific range of cells you do wish to protect and lock them using the Format > Cells menu opton and tick the Locked option in the Protection tabsheet

Next use the Tools menu option, and again select Protect > Protect Sheet. A password can then be provided.

Hope this helps

Matthew

You can also password protect areas within a worksheet, and for only certain users. If you go to Protection, Allow Users to Edit Ranges (in the toolbar), then click 'New', you can enter the range that you want, and ascribe a user (which you pick through Microsoft Exchange) to have access to that range. When they are logged in through Windows, they will be able to access that range, and anyone else attempting to will be prompted for a password. The user who can access the range does not need the password.

I don't know if you can do this with unlimited ranges in a single worksheet, but you can certainly do it with several. It can be useful for example when you want one person to be able to enter data, and someone else to approve it, without having to use paper and signatures.

You do also need to have those ranges 'locked' and the worksheet itself protected in order for this function to work.

Hope that all makes sense - post back if not.

Tristan