Excel 2010 Bible

Chapter 31: Protecting Your Work

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Assigning user permissions

Excel also offers the ability to assign user-level permissions to different areas on a protected work-

sheet. You can specify which users can edit a particular range while the worksheet is protected. As

an option, you can require a password to make changes.

This feature is rarely used, and the setup procedure is rather complicated. But if you need this level

of protection, setting it up might be worth the effort.

1. Unprotect the worksheet if it’s protected.


2. Choose Review ➪ Changes ➪ Allow Users to Edit Ranges. The dialog box shown in
   Figure 31.4 opens.


3. Follow the prompts in the series of dialog boxes that follow.


4. Protect the sheet.

FIGURE 31.4

The Allow Users to Edit Ranges dialog box.

Protecting a Workbook

Excel provides three ways to protect a workbook:

l (^) Require a password to open the workbook.
l Prevent users from adding sheets, deleting sheets, hiding sheets, and unhiding sheets.
l (^) Prevent users from changing the size or position of windows.
I discuss each of these methods in the sections that follow.

Requiring a password to open a workbook

Excel lets you save a workbook with a password. After doing so, whoever tries to open the work-

book must enter the password.