Open Excel without password

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kiwis

832 posts

Ultimate Geek

#24175 17-Jul-2008 09:14

I have an excel sheet with a password which I have forgotten, is there a way i can unlock this??

nairda

140 posts

Master Geek

#148759 17-Jul-2008 09:31

A quick google using the keywords 'excel' and 'password' revealed a number of password crackers. I haven't tried any of them though.

kiwis

832 posts

Ultimate Geek

#148767 17-Jul-2008 09:59

I should add, I can not download any sftware

tonyhughes

Hawkes Bay
8476 posts

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#148769 17-Jul-2008 10:12

kiwis: I should add, I can not download any sftware

Then you will not be able to find a solution unless someone can unlock this for you by having it emailed to them.

Why can you not download any software? If you are employed somewhere that has these kinds of lockdowns, then they probably should be able to help you get the tool you need to unlock the file if it is important.

Excel password hacking is apparently quite easy, but does require a bit of software to do the job.

chiefie

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#148770 17-Jul-2008 10:12

mysteriously... I found that (only once) that if you upload the XLS into Google Docs spreadsheet, it will open it regardless... We tried this once (only) with my colleague as he needed to get XLS opened in non-Office environment.

Alternatively, you could try open with OpenOffice if you have that.

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BobW

90 posts

Master Geek

#148771 17-Jul-2008 10:12

Which version of Excel? Recent versions have better password protection so are much more difficult to break.

Most likely you'll need to download a brute force password finding tool. The free versions of such tools will typically only tell you the first 2 or 3 characters of the password, after that you need to buy the tool. If it is your spreadsheet, then the first 2 or 3 characters might be enough to remind you what the password is.

BobW

90 posts

Master Geek

#148777 17-Jul-2008 10:25

What exactly is password protected? Is it opening the file, the sheets once the file is open, or the VBA code?

Password protection on sheets is almost trivial to break.