Password Cracker for Excel

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Can anyone recommend a (preferably free) password recovery tool for Excel spreadsheets? I have 6 workbooks that were password protected by an employee who has since left our firm and the data is urgently required.
, TIA.

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We’ve got and use Excel Key from LostPassword, but it costs money.

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We’ve got and use Excel Key from LostPassword, but it costs money.

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This was posted here in the lounge some time ago by one of the loungers ( I forget who!) and by making it a macro it works fine.

Sub PasswordBreaker()
‘Author unknown
‘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
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)
‘It may be unnecessary to use the offered password
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

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There is an addin called EDC Password Tool.xla that I have found useful, cannot point you to the site but a Google should find it. If my memory serves me this was free.
For a modest cost I have found AOXPPR a good tool, being the IT Manager I too have had occasions where workbooks are urgently required but the person has since left. HTH

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Thanks Preston (I will keep your macro in case of future issues like this) and to John Gray and P Coyle for the responses. FYI: In Word 2002 if you have a document that was password protected in a previous version of Word but no longer have that password you can do Insert|File and voila! it is recovered. In Excel there is no option to Insert|File. However you can make that option available by customizing the toolbar. Choose Built-in Menu, File, drag to the desired location on the Insert Menu and you now have the option to insert a file. Navigate to where the document is located and open. No prompt to enter password and there you have it! the spreadsheet is recovered. Bit crude perhaps but got the job done.

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Could such a “security” hole be an incentive from MSFT to purchase the latest version so you can recover stuff from earlier versions?

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Could such a “security” hole be an incentive from MSFT to purchase the latest version so you can recover stuff from earlier versions?

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Does not work if I do the following:

1. Create a workbook with Excel 2000.
2. Lock all the cells and protect with password.
3. Create empty workbook in Excel 2002.
4. Use Insert | File to insert the workbook created in Excel 2000.

Cells are still protected,

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Does not work if I do the following:

1. Create a workbook with Excel 2000.
2. Lock all the cells and protect with password.
3. Create empty workbook in Excel 2002.
4. Use Insert | File to insert the workbook created in Excel 2000.

Cells are still protected,

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Thanks Preston (I will keep your macro in case of future issues like this) and to John Gray and P Coyle for the responses. FYI: In Word 2002 if you have a document that was password protected in a previous version of Word but no longer have that password you can do Insert|File and voila! it is recovered. In Excel there is no option to Insert|File. However you can make that option available by customizing the toolbar. Choose Built-in Menu, File, drag to the desired location on the Insert Menu and you now have the option to insert a file. Navigate to where the document is located and open. No prompt to enter password and there you have it! the spreadsheet is recovered. Bit crude perhaps but got the job done.

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Erlandsen Data Consulting

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Erlandsen Data Consulting

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There is an addin called EDC Password Tool.xla that I have found useful, cannot point you to the site but a Google should find it. If my memory serves me this was free.
For a modest cost I have found AOXPPR a good tool, being the IT Manager I too have had occasions where workbooks are urgently required but the person has since left. HTH

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ASAP Utilities and Rob Bovey’s Excel Utilities both have password protection removal tools. The latter of these is more lightweight, but both are . I think they only remove protection at “sheet level”, not for the VBA project – don’t know if this is what you’re after though.

Looks like version ASAP 3.06 has just appeared, and my older version says it will stop working soon if I don’t download the new one… off we go then .

Alan

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Thanks for that Alan. I’ll be downloading them at the office tomorrow. I love

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A bit late perhaps, but if all you need to do is to remove password protection from an open workbook, run the following macro against each sheet:

Sub SheetPassword()
ActiveSheet.Protect “”, , , , True
ActiveSheet.Range(“a1”).Copy ActiveSheet.Range(“a1”)
End Sub

Unless cell A1 is merged, it should work as is. If cell A1 is merged, change the cell reference to another (unmerged) cell.

Cheers

Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]

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Our problem was we could not open the workbook without entering a password but I’m grateful for the reply nonetheless. Cheers,
Paddy

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Our problem was we could not open the workbook without entering a password but I’m grateful for the reply nonetheless. Cheers,
Paddy

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A bit late perhaps, but if all you need to do is to remove password protection from an open workbook, run the following macro against each sheet:

Sub SheetPassword()
ActiveSheet.Protect “”, , , , True
ActiveSheet.Range(“a1”).Copy ActiveSheet.Range(“a1”)
End Sub

Unless cell A1 is merged, it should work as is. If cell A1 is merged, change the cell reference to another (unmerged) cell.

Cheers

Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]

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Thanks for that Alan. I’ll be downloading them at the office tomorrow. I love

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