Section 1.1: Password Protection Without Python

For users who need to safeguard their Excel documents, it's important to note that password protection only restricts modifications. Users can still view the contents of the file. To implement password protection, follow these steps:

1. Click on “Sheet” and then select “Protect Sheet…”

After entering your desired password, the cells will become uneditable, ensuring that unauthorized changes cannot be made.

Now, let’s consider a scenario where you have multiple Excel files that you want to protect simultaneously.

Section 1.2: Password Protection Using Python

If you have numerous Excel files in a directory that you wish to prevent from being modified—perhaps to share them with colleagues for viewing only—you can efficiently password-protect all of them using Python. Although using the same password for all files isn't a recommended practice, it can simplify the process for this situation.

Here’s a Python script using the OpenPyxl library to automate this:

import os

from openpyxl import load_workbook

from openpyxl.styles import Protection

# Define the password

password = "YourPassword"

# Get the current directory

folder = os.getcwd()

# Iterate through files in the current directory

for filename in os.listdir(folder):

if filename.endswith("xlsx"):

file_path = os.path.join(folder, filename)

workbook = load_workbook(file_path)

for sheet in workbook.sheetnames:

worksheet = workbook[sheet]

worksheet.protection.set_password(password)

worksheet.protection.enable()

workbook.save(file_path)

Ensure you have the OpenPyxl library installed beforehand using the command:

$ pip install openpyxl

Please remember to choose a stronger password than "YourPassword" for better security.

To remove the password, simply click on “Sheet” and select “Unprotect Sheet…” when you wish to edit the file, entering the password when prompted.