Article ID: 214081 - View products that this article applies to.
This article describes how to lock individual cells in a Microsoft Excel worksheet. The procedure to use depends on whether you want the majority of the cells on the worksheet to remain locked or unlocked.
NOTE: If you lock a cell and protect the worksheet, then you cannot type data into the cell, modify the data currently in the cell, or change other attributes of the cell (such as cell formatting).
To unlock individual cells in an Excel worksheet, use either of the following procedures.
If You Want the Majority of Cells LockedTo lock the majority of the cells on the worksheet, follow these steps:
If You Want the Majority of Cells UnlockedTo leave the majority of the cells on the worksheet unlocked, follow these steps:
For more information about locking cells and protecting worksheets, click Microsoft Excel Help on the Help menu, type lock cells in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topics returned.
For additional information about using passwords, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
189126For additional information about locking cells and protecting worksheets, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
(https://support.microsoft.com/kb/189126/EN-US/ )Microsoft's Policy Regarding Missing or Invalid Passwords
(https://support.microsoft.com/kb/264372/EN-US/ )XL2000: Controlling and Understanding Settings in the Format Cells Dialog Box
(https://support.microsoft.com/kb/211710/EN-US/ )XL2000: Cells in a Protected Worksheet May Become Unmerged
(https://support.microsoft.com/kb/214337/EN-US/ )XL2000: Some Cells in Worksheet Not Selected Using TAB or SHIFT+TAB
(https://support.microsoft.com/kb/213661/EN-US/ )XL2000: Unlocked Cells Not Underlined with Protection Enabled
Article ID: 214081 - Last Review: September 23, 2015 - Revision: 7.0