Help I've locked my Excel spreadsheet!

mikeclark007

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Don't know how I've done it but I've managed to lock a tab from my excel workbook for editing as I can't remember the password. I thought it was the same password for the whole workbook but it's not.

Is there a workaround?

Thanks
Mike
 
Is it something you'd be able to send over? It can be possible to remove the protection without having to brute force the password.
 
Is it something you'd be able to send over? It can be possible to remove the protection without having to brute force the password.

Thanks for the offer mate. Yes would have been able to send it over - nothing sensitive but I've managed to unlock it. It's a mix of upper / lower case and when I set the password I got them he wrong way round
 
For info, there are quite a few add-ons around that can break excel passwords. Some try to get you to pay for them, and others might be from a dubious source as it provides a way to introduce macros, so be careful, but there is a famous one from a chap called John Mote - I have been using it for about 10 years and is incredibly useful (and shows how ridiculously insecure excel security is).

His one is an automated brute force method that cannot tell you the password, but does remove it from both workbooks and / or sheets.
 
I have been using it for about 10 years and is incredibly useful (and shows how ridiculously insecure excel security is).

Presumably this is more a problem with weak passwords than Excel in particular (assuming this software just tries lots of passwords)
 
Presumably this is more a problem with weak passwords than Excel in particular (assuming this software just tries lots of passwords)
No, excel itself is very unsecure. All of these tools can get into the spreadsheets very quickly (about 2 minutes), no matter what the password is..... Random numbers get removed the same as "password" in brute force methods (they just quickly cycle through combinations, not actual words). If everyone realised how easy they are to remove for people that tried to, nobody would even bother with them. (but, usefully, they don't)
 
No, excel itself is very unsecure. All of these tools can get into the spreadsheets very quickly (about 2 minutes), no matter what the password is..... Random numbers get removed the same as "password" in brute force methods (they just quickly cycle through combinations, not actual words). If everyone realised how easy they are to remove for people that tried to, nobody would even bother with them. (but, usefully, they don't)

Interesting - reading up on it, pre version 2013 (!) the password was stored as a poor many-to-one hash with only few combinations. 2013 and on it's stored with a much more decent hash and is salted, so I would be surprised if these tools continued to work on them if the password is decent.
 
Thanks for the offer mate. Yes would have been able to send it over - nothing sensitive but I've managed to unlock it. It's a mix of upper / lower case and when I set the password I got them he wrong way round

Glad you got it sorted

Interesting - reading up on it, pre version 2013 (!) the password was stored as a poor many-to-one hash with only few combinations. 2013 and on it's stored with a much more decent hash and is salted, so I would be surprised if these tools continued to work on them if the password is decent.
You can still just delete the element telling it that it's protected...
Excel.png
 
Any excel wizards out there that could help a stranger out? I'm a plasterer so excel really really isn't my forte. I've been given one to use for booking my work in but i can't help feel it can be improved.... Fee's negotiable.
 
What is the actual scope of the changes you are looking for?
 
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1435094907.608006.jpg


I type in wall length and wall height, it then does the simple calculation for m2 which i have to retype in the skim column for it to add it to the total. Could it not automatically copy the m2 measurement to that box? Also in the bit that says fire tape i have to retype the length...could it be changed that if i type Y in the fire tape box it copies the length measurement over? Does that make sense?
 
View attachment 600077

I type in wall length and wall height, it then does the simple calculation for m2 which i have to retype in the skim column for it to add it to the total. Could it not automatically copy the m2 measurement to that box?

If you put

=G7

into cell K7, for example, it will take the value from there automatically. (G being the m2 column, and K being the Skim column). You would then need to repeat this exercise for each row, which you can do by dragging down the square at the bottom right of the cell K7 when you select it.

Also in the bit that says fire tape i have to retype the length...could it be changed that if i type Y in the fire tape box it copies the length measurement over? Does that make sense?

If you just want to copy the value every time, you can do the same as the above for columns J and E.

If you want to do it 'conditionally' - i.e. sometimes and sometimes not, you would probably need to add a column which you could put the Y or N in. Depends on the underlying formulas going on.

HTH
 
Ok thanks. = g7 will probably help me out even if its not quite what i had in my head. I do it on my phone throughout the day and it'll be easier to type that than to keep scrolling side to side to see each measurement. Thanks [emoji106]
 
No problem. Good luck :)
 
Try now, as they say :)

That's changing the game but spreadsheet encryption is, I believe, done properly (a completely encrypted file, hashed and salted) whereas worksheet protection is weak because at its most basic it's almost read only.

View attachment 600077

I type in wall length and wall height, it then does the simple calculation for m2 which i have to retype in the skim column for it to add it to the total. Could it not automatically copy the m2 measurement to that box? Also in the bit that says fire tape i have to retype the length...could it be changed that if i type Y in the fire tape box it copies the length measurement over? Does that make sense?

All sounds doable to improve and make easier. We're happy to help if you can put down what you need (in terms of rules) and send over a mocked up sample.
 
That's changing the game but spreadsheet encryption is, I believe, done properly (a completely encrypted file, hashed and salted) whereas worksheet protection is weak because at its most basic it's almost read only.

:D Alls I did was save the spreadsheet and pick a password - isn't that what we're talking about? :) 'Worksheet protection' doesn't prevent you opening the file without a password, right? Just prevents you from modifying it.
 
All sounds doable to improve and make easier. We're happy to help if you can put down what you need (in terms of rules) and send over a mocked up sample.

Thanks that'd be kind, i'll fill one out showing what i'd like it to do, is that what you mean?
 
Interesting - so you can take a file like this and pull out the movie title in it for example?

Not quite........ As Ash said there is a difference when you put a password to open the file - this actually encrypts the file and does stop it being opened. I was more talking about being putting passwords in excel to change the workbook or sheet once it has opened (things like unhiding hidden sheets, allowing you to select all cells, editing). It means you can see things that people think were hidden.

I guess the difference is the situation in which you are given a spreadsheet but the author only wanted you to see some bits of it (but now you can see all of it), as opposed to opening something on a server when you shouldn't be looking at any of it........
 

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