Guide: Lock Formula in MS Excel: Tips and Tutorial
Excel is a spreadsheet application with many functions you can add to worksheets. It also has improved collaboration options for sharing worksheets with other recipients. Those who often share their spreadsheets sometimes need to lock formula (or function) cells. Locking the function cells ensures that other spreadsheet users cannot delete or edit the formulas.
If you’re using a shared spreadsheet, it’s important to lock the cells so that only you can edit them. If someone else wants to add or change a cell, they’ll have to enter their sheet password first. This way, if someone doesn’t want anyone editing the sheet, they can just unlock the cells and work with them as they please.
Unlock all cells in the spreadsheet
Excel’s locked option is selected by default. However, this has absolutely no effect until you choose to protect the spreadsheet. The Locked setting is selected for all cells, so if you protect the spreadsheet, all cells in it will be locked, regardless of whether they contain functions or not. Those who only need to lock functions must first unlock the spreadsheet and then select only the formula cells. ..
To unlock a spreadsheet, select all cells by pressing the Ctrl + A keyboard shortcut. You can also click Select All button at the top left of the spreadsheet. That will select all cells in the sheet as in the snapshot below.
To unlock a cell, press the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + 1 and select the Locked option from the Protection tab. Clear the selected Locked check box and press OK button to exit the window. ..
Lock the spreadsheet formulas
Now that you’ve unlocked the spreadsheet, you can choose to lock only the function cells in it. Select all function and formula cells in the sheet by pressing the Find and Select button on the Home tab. Select Go To Special to open the window below. Click on the Formulas radio button to select all options for formula types and press OK button. ..
To select a function cell with the cursor:
- Hold down the Ctrl key and click on the function cell you want to select.
- The function cell will be highlighted in blue and you can drag the cursor across it to select it.
Ctrl + 1 opens the Format Cells window. On the Protection tab, select Locked. Click OK to close the Format Cells window.
To protect your sheet, click the Review tab and press the protective sheet button on that tab.
Second, enter a new password for the sheet in the text box of the Protect Sheet window. If you have forgotten your old password, you can reset it by clicking on the Reset Password button in the Protect Sheet window.
If you press the OK button in the Protect Sheet window, a Confirm Password dialog box will open that allows you to enter your password again. If the password you entered does not match the one in the Protect Sheet window, your original password may contain a typo. You should also make sure you haven’t pressed the Caps Lock key, which will use all text in capital letters.
To unlock the formula cells, you need to select the Review tab and enter the unlock password in the text box.
Lock spreadsheet cells with Kutools for Excel
If you need more locking options, please visit Kutools for Excel. Kutools is an add-on for Excel that adds more than 200 additional options to the application. You can also lock cells with Kutools for Excel’s Worksheet Design utility. The Kutools add-on is available for $39, and you can try a full trial version for a few months. ..
If Kutools is installed, you can open a new Enterprise tab in Excel. This tab has options for locking formulas and protecting sheets. ..
That’s how to lock formula cells in Excel spreadsheets with the built-in options of the application and Kutools add-on. Locking cells keeps their functions intact when sharing spreadsheets. Check out this YouTube page to play an Excel screencast with more information on how to lock spreadsheet cells.
Lock Formula in MS Excel: Tips and Tutorial: benefits
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Final note
This guide Lock Formula in MS Excel: Tips and Tutorial will show you how to use the Lock Formula in Microsoft Excel so that you can keep your data safe and secure. This formula is used to protect your data by locking it so that only you can access it. By using this formula, you can ensure that your data is always safe and secure.
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