protecting an excel sheet
 

Hi,

I am wanting to protect an excel file with a password, then email that file to a third party and when they receive it they need the password to open. However every attempt I have tried so far hasn't worked because the recipient has been able to open the file without it asking for a password.
How the heck do I do it??

Thanks

Have you looked at the excel Help section which gives the folowing: :ok:



Set a password in an Excel spreadsheet
To encrypt your workbook and set a password to open it:

Click the Microsoft Office Button , point to Prepare, and then click Encrypt Document.


In the Password box, type a password, and then click OK.
You can type up to 255 characters. By default, this feature uses AES 128-bit advanced encryption. Encryption is a standard method used to help make your file more secure.

In the Reenter password box, type the password again, and then click OK.
To save the password, save the file.

I'm not certain but I think protecting a sheet only means that you need a password to change the sheet, not to open or view it.

I hide sheets I don't want others to access and they cannot 'unhide' it without a password.

Excerpt from excel help:

You can encrypt Microsoft Office files to help prevent unauthorized people from opening a workbook, document, or presentation. Watch the demo to see how easy it is to set a password to help you control who can open or modify the Office files you create.

If the data really needs to be secure find another way to send it. A quick Google search will give you counless programs that will unlock a protected Excel document in seconds.

Differentiate between Protection and Encryption of a Workbook. Encryption using AES-128 is bloody strong, while protection is pretty weak - MarcJF is quite right about that.

There's a useful article on the MS website here, relating to Office 2003.

Bear mind that any encryption is only as strong as the weakest link - usually weak passwords and poor key management (e.g. emailing the password in plain text).

SD