Page 455 - Excel 2013 All-in-One For Dummies

Password-Protecting the File 437
Excel opens the Encrypt Document dialog box.
3. Type the password exactly as you entered it in the Password text box and then select OK.
Excel opens the Confirm Password dialog box.
4. Type the password in the Reenter Password text box exactly as you typed it into the Password text box in the Encrypt Document dialog box and then select OK.
Note that if you don’t replicate the password exactly, Excel displays an alert dialog box indicating that the confirmation password is not identi- cal. After you click OK to close this alert dialog box, you’re returned to the Confirm Password dialog box.
After successfully replicating the password, Excel closes the Confirm Password dialog box and returns you to the Info screen, where “A pass- word is required to open this workbook” status message now appears under the Protect Workbook heading.
5. Click the Save option on the Info screen.
Excel closes the Backstage and returns you to the regular worksheet window as the program saves your new password to open as part of the workbook file.
Keep in mind that the drop-down menu attached to the Protect Workbook button in the Info screen in the Backstage does not contain an option for protecting the workbook from further modification after it’s opened in Excel. Instead, it contains a Mark as Final option that assigns read-only status to the workbook file that prevents the user from saving changes to the file under the same filename.
Entering the password to gain access
After you save a workbook file to which you’ve assigned a password for opening it, you must thereafter be able to faithfully reproduce the password in order to open the file (at least until you change or delete the password). When you next try to open the workbook, Excel opens a Password dialog box like the one shown in Figure 1-2, where you must enter the password exactly as it was assigned to the file.
If you mess up and type the wrong password, Excel displays an alert dialog box letting you know that the password you entered is incorrect. When you click OK to clear the alert, you are returned to the original Excel window where you must repeat the entire file-opening procedure (hoping that this time you’re able to enter the correct password). When you supply the cor- rect password, Excel immediately opens the workbook for viewing and printing (and editing as well, unless you’ve also assigned a password for modifying the file). If you’re unable to successfully reproduce the password, you are unable to open the file and put it to any use!
Book IV Chapter 1
Protecting Workbooks and Worksheet Data