9/4/2019 Top 3 Methods to Break Excel Password

How to Break Excel File Password

Excel les are very important les that stores valuable data. These les are of utmost
importance in any rm. And hence all the companies as well as users tend to protect the le
with a password. But, sometimes users forget this password that can be used to unlock the le.
This leads them in searching the Internet for how to break Excel password. If you are one of
the above mentioned users that are looking to break open a password-protected Excel le, then
your hunt is over.

Why people want to break Excel password? As mentioned earlier, Excel les are of importance
to companies and users. They have valuable data stored in them and hence they are protected
with password. Users tend to forget the password. This can be due to weak memory, jumbling
between multiple passwords, misplacement of passwords, and many more such similar
reasons. And this is why users tend to break Excel workbook password so as to get the valuable
information stored in the le. Let us have a look at the possible solutions that will let you know
how to crack Excel workbook password.

Solution 1: Use ZIP to Break Excel Password

Employment of this solution will need you to edit the xml le of the zip. Puzzled? You must be
wondering as to where did the xml and zip le came into picture. Well, you need to follow the
steps given below and know how to break password on Excel.

Step 1: Before we begin, you need to create a backup of the original le. This will be helpful if
anything goes wrong. Now, all you need to do is change the extension of the le to .zip.

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Step 2: Now, extract the contents of the zip le. In the extracted content, you will need to search
the xml format of the le. This will be found in "worksheets" directory.

Step 3: Once you nd the xml le, open it in the xml editor. In the xml le, search for the
"sheetProtection" term and remove it from the le. Once removed, save the le.

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Step 4: Change back the extension of the le as it was in the rst place. When you try to open
the le, no password will be needed. In addition to this, the solution can be used to know how to
break password of Excel sheet for all types of Excel version such as Excel 2003, Excel 2007,
Excel 2010, Excel 2013, Excel 2016, and many more.

Solution 2: Use VBA Code to Break Excel Worksheet

If you think that the above method does not work as per your needs, then there is one more way
that can help you know how to break MS Excel password. This solution is used to open
worksheets that are password protected in an Excel le. Follow the below steps to bypass Excel
workbook password.

Step 1: Begin with opening the Excel le. Now open the worksheet that you need to unlock. All
you need to do is press Alt + F11. This will land you in the macro editor.

Step 2: Double click on the sheet from the menu in the left that you need to break. This will open
the General section page for the sheet. Now type in the following code in the General
Declaration page:

Sub PasswordBreaker()
'Breaks worksheet password protection.
Dim i As Integer, j As Integer, k As Integer
Dim l As Integer, m As Integer, n As Integer
Dim i1 As Integer, i2 As Integer, i3 As Integer
Dim i4 As Integer, i5 As Integer, i6 As Integer

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On Error Resume Next

For i = 65 To 66: For j = 65 To 66: For k = 65 To 66
For l = 65 To 66: For m = 65 To 66: For i1 = 65 To 66
For i2 = 65 To 66: For i3 = 65 To 66: For i4 = 65 To 66
For i5 = 65 To 66: For i6 = 65 To 66: For n = 32 To 126
ActiveSheet.Unprotect Chr(i) & Chr(j) & Chr(k) & _
Chr(l) & Chr(m) & Chr(i1) & Chr(i2) & Chr(i3) & _
Chr(i4) & Chr(i5) & Chr(i6) & Chr(n)
If ActiveSheet.ProtectContents = False Then
MsgBox "One usable password is " & Chr(i) & Chr(j) & _
Chr(k) & Chr(l) & Chr(m) & Chr(i1) & Chr(i2) & _
Chr(i3) & Chr(i4) & Chr(i5) & Chr(i6) & Chr(n)
Exit Sub
End If
Next: Next: Next: Next: Next: Next
Next: Next: Next: Next: Next: Next
End Sub

Step 3: Press F5 and run the macro and your job here is done. Your Excel worksheet will be
opened without a password. This solution is applicable to all types of Excel versions.

Solution 3: Use PassFab for Excel

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When you feel that the above two methods are very confusing than you can always look up to
PassFab for Excel. This tool is used to break open passwords for any version of Excel le. It is
easy to use and follow. Moreover, it does not need much time to break a le. Follow the below
steps to break password for Excel workbook.

Step 1: Run the tool and click on the Add on the main interface. Choose the Excel le you wish
to break.

Step 2: Next choose the type of attack you wish to perform on the le. The tool provides Brute-
force with Mask, Brute-force, and Dictionary Attack. Adjust the parameters as per the type of
attack that you have chosen.

Step 3: Now click on Start button. The tool will remove the password for your le.

Summary

Long story short, you just had a look on the top 3 methods that will help you know how to crack
Excel workbook password protection. You can use zip method, VBA code, or PassFab for Excel
to break the le. Let us know if this article was helpful to you or not. Do let us know your
feedback on this article and tell us about any other alternate solution by commenting below.

2018-07-30 / Posted by Shirley Howard to Excel Tips / Follow @Shirley Howard

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Nigel Stratton • 4 months ago

Awesome. The zip file method worked in 1 minute flat. Appreciated!
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

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