Excel User Tips

Forget your password?

Q. I saved my workbook with a password, but Excel doesn't recognize it and won't let me open the file. Am I out of luck?

First, remember that passwords are case-sensitive. So if you originally entered your password as Xyzzy, typing xyzzy won't work.

If you know you're entering the password correctly, then it's time to start looking for a password recovery utility. Several utilities exist, and a partial list is available here.

By the way, the fact that these products exist might raise some alarms for the security-minded. Bottom line? Excel password protection isn't as secure as you might expect.