Forgot your Excel password? Unlock it in 3 seconds.
Remove sheet, workbook, and VBA project protection from Excel files instantly. Free, forever, no signup.
Built on enterprise-grade document processing technology β the output quality you'd expect from $99/month commercial tools.
- π 256-bit HTTPS
- β± 1-hour auto-delete
- β GDPR compliant
- π€ No AI training on your data
- β DMCA Β§1201 safe harbour
Before you upload β please confirm
Sheet, workbook, and VBA project protection are client-side enforcement flags β we can remove them in milliseconds. But the file you upload must be one you have the right to modify.
Confirm the Terms above to enable upload
Up to 5 files Β· 100 MB each Β· .xlsx / .xlsm / .xls / .xlsb / .xltx / .xltm / .ods
Free Excel password remover β the honest one
Most online Excel unlock tools either charge $20-50 after pretending to be free, force you to install desktop software, or require you to know the password they're supposed to remove. We don't. Sheet, workbook, and VBA project protection are editorial markup inside the OOXML container β we strip them in milliseconds, server-side, with no payment, no signup, and no installation. The only thing we won't do is brute-force file-open AES passwords. We're transparent about why.
What we unlock β and what we don't
Sheet protection (worksheet locking)
Removes the lock that blocks editing cells, sorting, filtering, formatting columns, inserting rows, or any of the 14 granular Excel sheet-protection flags. Works whether or not the original protection was set with a password.
Workbook structure protection
Removes the lock that prevents adding, deleting, hiding, unhiding, or reordering sheets within a workbook. Common when a colleague hands you a 'finished' file you need to extend.
VBA project password
Removes the lock that prevents viewing macro source code in the Visual Basic Editor. Useful when you've inherited a workbook with critical macros and need to audit, debug, or extend them.
Read-only recommendation & write reservation
Removes the 'Recommend read-only' flag and any 'Reserve write access with this password' setting. The kind of soft-protection that pops up the read-only dialog every time you open the file.
AES file-open password β NOT removed
If the workbook is encrypted with AES (the password is required just to open the file), we politely refuse and recommend a brute-force service like LostMyPass. This is the legal/ethical line we don't cross β but we tell you exactly why.
Protection map transparency
Before we change anything, we show you exactly what's locked: every workbook flag, every sheet's IsProtected state, every one of the 14 granular blocked-action flags. No black box.
How it works
- 1Confirm the Terms of Service in the hero (one checkbox β you own the file or have permission).
- 2Drag-drop your .xlsx, .xlsm, .xls, .xlsb, or .ods file. Up to 5 files at once, 100 MB each.
- 3We detect the protection layout and show you the protection map β what's locked, on which sheet, with which granular blocked actions.
- 4Click 'Remove all protection'. Sub-second processing. Download the unlocked file. Files auto-delete after 1 hour.
Why ExcelMaster's Excel Unlock is different
Truly free β not 'free demo, pay to download'
PassFab and iSeePassword reveal only the first 3 password characters in their 'free' tier and charge $20-50 for the full unlock. We don't paywall. The unlocked file downloads at full quality, every time, free.
No signup, no email, no installation
Web tool. Drag, drop, download. We don't ask for an email to send you the result β that's a dark pattern designed to capture leads. The download link returns directly in the browser.
Honest about what we don't do
Most competitors quietly merge 'sheet protection removal' (free, instant) with 'AES file-open password recovery' (slow, paid, legally murky) into one product. We don't. If your file has an AES password, we tell you, recommend an external service, and decline.
Protection map you can read
Competitor tools say 'your file is unlocked' β black box. We surface the protection map: workbook structure flag, per-sheet IsProtected, the granular Edit / Sort / Filter / Format / Insert / Delete / PivotTable / Object / Scenario flags, password presence, allow-edit ranges. Read it. Verify it.
Built on enterprise-grade infrastructure
The same class of OOXML processing technology trusted by Fortune 100 finance teams and government agencies for high-volume document workflows. Free for everyone.
Want unlock inside Excel? Install ExcelMaster Add-in
ExcelMaster is an Excel add-in that adds an AI assistant for any spreadsheet task β formulas, pivots, charts, analysis. The unlock feature is also available right from the Excel Ribbon (no upload required). Free.
Frequently asked questions
Is this tool legal?
Sheet, workbook, and VBA project protection are client-side enforcement flags stored as OOXML markup β they're not encryption, the stored password hash is never used as a key. Removing them does not constitute circumvention under DMCA Β§1201 (multiple legal analyses categorise it as editorial markup manipulation). We additionally require an explicit ToS checkbox confirming you own the file or have permission. File-open AES passwords are different β they actually encrypt the file. We don't touch those.
Do I need to know the original password?
No. That's the whole point. We strip the protection markup directly β the stored password hash isn't validated because it isn't an encryption key. Most competitor tools require the password (which defeats the 'I forgot my password' use case); ours doesn't.
What's the difference between sheet protection and a file-open password?
Sheet protection blocks editing cells once the file is open β purely client-side enforcement, no encryption. A file-open password (set via 'File β Info β Encrypt with Password') actually AES-encrypts the entire workbook β Excel can't even read the structure without the key. We unlock the first; we don't crack the second. We tell you which one your file has up front.
What file formats do you support?
.xlsx, .xlsm, .xltx, .xltm β handled by our OOXML XML strip engine, sub-second performance. .xls, .xlsb, .ods β handled by an Aspose.Cells fallback path; works for files where you happen to know the worksheet password, otherwise we can't help on these formats yet.
How big a file can I upload?
100 MB per file, up to 5 files in one batch. The processing time is roughly proportional to file size β most files unlock in 200-1500 ms. The 100 MB cap is the upload limit, not a processing limit.
Will my data be retained?
Files are auto-deleted from our servers within 1 hour. We do not retain the original or the unlocked copy beyond that window. We do not use uploaded data to train any AI model. We do not log file contents β only metadata (size, format, processing time, success/failure) for service health monitoring.
Can someone else download my file from the link?
The download URL is signed with a long random token (effectively unguessable). It's not indexed and not browsable. Anyone you share the URL with can download β just like Google Drive 'anyone with the link' sharing. The file disappears entirely after 1 hour.
Why isn't my .xls file unlocking?
.xls is a binary BIFF format (Excel 97-2003) β Aspose.Cells can read it but it validates the worksheet password before unprotecting. If you don't know the password, the .xls path can't help. Workaround: open in Excel desktop, save as .xlsx, then unlock the .xlsx version with our tool. The .xlsx OOXML path bypasses password validation entirely.
What about VBA project password β is that fully unlocked too?
Sheet and workbook protection are fully removed. VBA project password is detected and surfaced in the protection map β but the actual unlock for VBA passwords requires binary surgery on the OLE compound document inside xl/vbaProject.bin. That's a separate engineering tier we're shipping in the next release. Until then, sheet/workbook are unlocked, VBA stays locked, and we tell you so explicitly.
I really need my file-open AES password recovered. Where do I go?
LostMyPass (lostmypass.com) is the most reputable third-party service β they use 'pay only on success' billing, which removes most of the risk of paying for a failed recovery. We have no commercial relationship with them; the recommendation is informational. PassFab and Password-Find are alternatives with desktop software. We're transparent that this is brute-force recovery β outcome and timing depend on password complexity.
Will using this damage my file?
No. The OOXML strip is surgical β it removes only the <sheetProtection>, <workbookProtection>, and <fileSharing> XML elements. Cell data, formulas, styles, charts, pivot tables, conditional formatting, named ranges, comments β all preserved. We re-pack the ZIP container and the result is a valid OOXML workbook indistinguishable from one Excel itself would produce.
Is there an installable version?
Yes β ExcelMaster Add-in. It's our flagship Excel add-in (free) that adds an AI assistant for any spreadsheet task: formulas, pivots, charts, analysis. The unlock feature works inside Excel right from the Ribbon β no upload required. If you unlock files often, the add-in is the better experience.