How To Lock Cells in Excel

MS Excel has dominated the software market ever since it was introduced to the masses. However, even if you have used MS Excel extensively, do you know how to lock cells in Excel?

Let me share a story before diving headfirst into the tutorial.

A few years ago, while collaborating on a crucial project in Excel, I encountered unexpected changes to vital data when sharing the worksheet with my team. It had put the entire project at risk and nearly cost my job. The only thing I could think of was, “How do I lock cells in Excel?” Upon mastering this function, I realized its importance in keeping data safe.

For starters, locking cells lets you view and use the worksheet but stops anyone from accidentally changing important information. If you have searched for “how do you lock a cell in Excel” online, this easy tutorial is your go-to guide. Happy reading!

How to Lock Cells in Excel

When you share your Excel spreadsheet with others, certain cells might contain valuable data or have special formatting and formulas critical to the calculations. To prevent unintended changes that could affect the integrity of your sheet, you'll want to protect these specific cells.

The only way to protect the vital components in the spreadsheet is by locking the cells in the sheet. You can not only lock particular cells, but rows and columns as required and safeguard them from unintentional changes and edits. The question that arises is “how to lock cells in Excel”.

How to Lock All Cells in An Excel Sheet?

If you’re pondering over the same question, “How can I lock cells in Excel,” the first thing you need to know about an Excel worksheet is that all cells are locked by default. But this lock facility becomes effective only after you protect the whole worksheet.

Let’s take a look at these simple steps to learn how to lock cells in Excel.

• Step 1: Press Ctrl-A to select all the cells in the worksheet

Source: MS Excel

• Step 2: Right-click on the worksheet and select ‘Format Cells’.

Source: MS Excel

• Step 3: A new window opens up. Click on the ‘Protection’ tab at the extreme right.

• Step 4: The ‘Locked’ option is checked by default. Click ‘OK’.
  

How to Lock a Worksheet in Excel

As mentioned previously, locking the cells in an Excel sheet becomes effective only when the whole worksheet is locked. Here is a step-by-step guide as to how to lock a sheet in Excel.

• Step 1: In the Excel sheet, click on the ‘Review’ tab.

• Step 2: Click on the ‘Protect Sheet’ option. You can also right-click on the sheet tab at the bottom and select the ‘Protect Sheet’ option from there.

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• Step 3: A new window opens up. You will have to enter a password. You can check and uncheck the boxes to allow users to make certain changes in the worksheet. Once done, click ‘OK’.

If you or any other collaborator tries to edit any of the cells in this worksheet, an error message will pop up like this:

To make changes to the cells in the sheet, you have to unlock the worksheet. Let’s discuss how to unlock Excel protected sheet next.

How to Unlock a Protected Sheet in MS Excel

Before delving into the step-by-step process, here’s a pro tip. You have already come halfway into this guide, so, why not take a step further? You can learn many more advanced Excel functions like how to lock cells in Excel via professional online courses.

Back to the guide!

Now that you have the question “How do I lock Excel spreadsheet” answered, you must also know the way to unlock such a sheet. If you want to edit certain cells in your MS Excel-protected spreadsheet, you have to unlock the sheet to make the necessary changes.

Here is how you can unlock the Excel protected sheet:

• Step 1: On the Excel sheet, go to the ‘Review’ tab.

• Step 2: Click on ‘Unprotect Sheet’.

• Step 3: A window appears where you have to insert the password and then click ‘OK’.

Your Excel worksheet is now unprotected. You or anyone else with whom you share the sheet can make all necessary changes in the cells of the sheet.

Locking Specific Cells in MS Excel

Initially, in this tutorial you learned how to lock cells in Excel - this implied locking all the cells in the spreadsheet. But can you lock specific cells in MS Excel? Of course, you can. This segment guides you as to how you can lock particular cells in Excel. Let us look at the steps you need to follow.

• Step 1: Select all the cells in the worksheet with ‘Ctrl-A’

• Step 2: Right-click on the Excel sheet and select ‘Format Cells’.

• Step 3: A new window opens up. Click on the ‘Protection’ tab.

• Step 4: Uncheck the ‘Locked’ option and click ‘OK’.

• Step 5: Now select the cells, rows, or columns that you want to lock or protect.

• Step 6: Right-click on the selected cells. Click on the ‘Format Cells’ option.

• Step 7: Click on the ‘Protection’ tab. Check the ‘Locked’ option. Click ‘OK’.

You are done. The particular cells that you selected in the Excel sheet are now locked and protected.

How to Hide Formulas in an Excel Sheet

Once you have locked your worksheet, you can hide certain formulas you have used from being displayed. Follow this step-by-step guide.

• Step 1: Select the cells which have the formula that you want to hide from being displayed.

• Step 2: Go to the ‘Home’ tab and click on the ‘Format’ button.

• Step 3: Click on the ‘Format Cells’ option.

• Step 4: Click on the ‘Protection’ tab and check the ‘Hidden’ option along with the ‘Locked’ option. Then click on ‘OK’.

Even with the cells being locked and hidden, nothing will be effective till the worksheet is locked. You can learn more advanced Excel functions aside from how to lock cells in Excel to upskill yourself especially if you are considering data analytics as a career option.

Wrapping up

This guide on how to lock cells in Excel will help you protect your valuable data, statistics, and other components in MS Excel even when you share it with your colleagues or office employees. Now that you have enough knowledge about how to lock a worksheet in Excel, advanced protection for your data is bound to be a cakewalk for you.

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Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do I lock specific cells in Excel?

To lock specific cells in Excel, you have to first uncheck the ‘Locked’ option in the ‘Protection’ tab (Format-Format Cells-Protection tab). Next, select the cells in the sheet you want to lock. Right-click on the cells and click on ‘Format Cells’. In the window that opens up, go to the tab entitled ‘Protection’ and check the ‘Locked’ option. The specific cells will be locked.

2. How do I lock cells in Excel F4?

The F4 key in Excel is used to handle cell references. The F4 key helps in cycling through relative, absolute, and mixed reference types. In relative reference, press F4 to change cell reference to the mixed option locking either the row or the column.

3. How do I lock unused cells in Excel?

The process of unlocking unused cells in Excel will be the same as locking specific cells in MS Excel. In this case, the specific cells will be the unused ones.

4. How do I lock rows in Excel?

If you know how to lock cells in Excel, you can lock rows in Excel similarly. First, head over to the ‘Protection’ tab from the ‘Format Cells’ option and uncheck the ‘Locked’ option. Click ‘OK’. Return to the original Excel worksheet and select the row you want to lock. Right-click on the row and click on the ‘Format Cells’ option. Now check the ‘Locked’ option in the ‘Protection’ tab followed by ‘OK’.

5. How do I lock multiple rows in Excel?

To lock multiple rows in Excel, select the rows you want to lock, right-click on the selection, choose "Format Cells," go to the "Protection" tab, and check the "Locked" option. Then protect the sheet via Review > Protect Sheet, ensuring to input a password if necessary. This will lock the specified rows from editing.

6. How do I lock rows in sheets?

To lock rows in sheets, you have to first uncheck the ‘Locked’ option in the ‘Protection’ tab (obtained after clicking the ‘Format Cells’ option) and click ‘OK’. now select the row that you want to lock. With a right-click you will get the ‘Format Cells’ option. In the ‘Protection’ tab, check the ‘Locked’ option and click ‘OK’.