Excel 2003 provides two ways to protect your workbook with a password. One option is to set a password that will allow others to view the workbook but not modify it. The other option is to set a password that will prevent others from viewing or modifying the workbook.

 

To password protect a workbook, open the workbook and choose Tools->Options from the menu bar. When the Options dialogue appears, click the Security tab.

 

Under the File Encryption for this workbook heading, you will see a text field labelled Password to Open.

 

Type the password of your choice, and press enter. Excel will then open a confirm dialogue box where you to type the password again to confirm it. When you click the OK button on the confirm dialogue box, the workbook becomes password protected.

 

 

 

 

 

You can also specify a password in the Password to modify text field. The process is exactly similar to the method just described.

 

If you set a password to open the workbook, you will see the following box displayed after you save and then reopen the workbook.

 

 

You must know the password to open this workbook. If you do know it, you can open the workbook with full privileges.

 

 

 

 

If you set a password to modify the workbook, you will see the following box after you save and reopen the workbook.

 

 

 

 

Here the person opening the workbook has the option of clicking the read only button to open the workbook. The user will be able to view and modify the open workbook, but when they try to save it, they will not be allowed to save the modified version over the original. Excel will enforce the use of a different file name, and protect the original workbook from being modified.

 

You can open the workbook with full privileges if you use the password.