How to Disable/Change/Remove Read Only in Excel 2016

how to disable read only in excel 2016


Read-only mode is a guarantee to prevent others from modifying Excel 2017/2016/2013/2010, but it becomes an obstacle to editing and modifying Excel files when not needed.


In this article, I'll cover 6 ways to disable read-only in Excel 2016 in different situations.

Part 1. Enter Password to Access Excel:

Part 2. Workbook Is Marked as Final:

Part 3. Recommended to Access Excel in Read-only:

Part 4. Worksheet/Workbook Locked as Read-only:

Tip 1. How to Disable Read-only in Excel without Password

Tip 2. How to Set Excel 2010/2013/2016/2017 to "Read-only"

Part 1. Enter Password to Access Excel:

When the warning message pops up, you must type a password to access Excel 2016. If you remember the password, it is easy to remove read-only from Excel. Please check the 2 methods.

enter excel password for write access


#1. Remove Read-only Excel by "Save As"

Step 1. Open the password-protected Excel 2016, then type the correct password and click "OK".


Step 2. Click the "File" button and select "Save As". You can change the file name or address here.


Step 3. Select "Tools" on the dialog and select "General Options" from the drop-down list.

select general options on the save as dialog


Step 4. Delete the password in the box that appears, and then click "OK".

remove password and read only excel


Step 5. Finally, in the Initial "Save As" dialog, click "Save".


#2. Disable Read-only by "Save As"

Step 1. First, select the "Read Only" button to open the Excel file.

open excel in read only


Step 2. Select "File" in the menu bar and select "Save As" from the drop-down list.


Step 3. Change the saved file type and click the "Save" button.


Step 4. Click "OK" to save the Excel as a non-read-only file.

disable excel read only by save as



Part 2. Workbook Is Marked as Final:

This method can be used when the yellow warning bar labeled "Marked as Final" is below the menu bar. In this case, it is easy to disable read-only in Excel Mac/PC, just click "Edit Anyway".

    

#3. Delete Read-only by "Edit Anyway"

Step 1. Open the Excel file with a read-only password.


Step 2. Click "Edit Anyway" under the menu bar to edit the Excel file.

delete read only by edit anyway



Part 3. Recommended to Access Excel in Read-only:

When the image below appears, you can only open it as read-only. How to clear the read-only password of the Excel 2016 after opening? There are 2 ways to give you inspiration.

recommended to access excel in read only


#4. Uncheck Read-only Recommend by "Save As"

Step 1. In the Excel file, click "File" in the upper right corner, select "Save As", and then click "Browse" in the interface.

open save as interface


Step 2. After that, click "Tools" below and select "General Options" from the sublist.


Step 3. You can see the "Read-only recommend", uncheck it, and then click "OK".


Step 4. Click"Save" in the "Save As" interface.


#5. Uncheck Read-only via Explorer 

Step 1. Press "Windows icon + E" on the keyboard to open "File Explorer".


Step 2. Locate and right-click the Excel 2016 in the "File Explorer" and click "Properties".


Step 3. Navigate to "Attributes" in the pop-up Properties window.


Step 4. Remove the "Read-only" check mark under the "General" tab.


Step 5. Click "Apply" and then click "OK".

change excel from read only with explorer



Part 4. Worksheet/Workbook Locked as Read-only:

You may wonder how to change Excel from read-only when Excel 2016 is locked to "read-only" due to Worksheet/Workbook protection. When the following pop-up message appears, you can confirm that you need to remove the "read-only" limit.

worksheet workbook locked as read only


#6. Delete Read-only via "Unprotect Sheet/Workbook"

For Worksheet

Step 1. Open the Excel file.


Step 2. Go to the "Review" tab and click "Unprotect Sheet".


Step 3. Enter the correct password as needed to cancel the worksheet structure lock.


Step 4. Click the "Save" button to disable Excel read-only.

unprotect sheet for excel read only remove


For Workbook

Step 1. Similarly, open Excel 2016 and click "View".


Step 2. Click "Protect Workbook" to display a box called "Unprotect Workbook".


Step 3. Enter the appropriate password and click "OK".


Step 4. Click the second icon "Save" in the upper left corner. Now you can change Excel from read-only.

unprotect workbook to disable read only in excel 2016



Tip 1. How to Disable Read-only in Excel without Password

As we have seen, except for #2 and #4, other methods require a password to get the operation of removing read-only on Excel done. The password is the soul of the operation and is essential. 


Now let me introduce a reliable tool - Password Genius to retrieve passwords which can recover lost excel password within minutes.


1. It is a one-stop tool for Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, RAR, PDF, ZIP password recovery.

2. You can quickly remove password from Excel without losing data.

3. Also can remove password from Word document in a few steps.

4. Built-in advanced algorithms and unique scan technology allow you to retrieve passwords faster.

5. Password Genius free can recover up to 3 characters of password.


How to Change a Read-only File in Excel? If you want to change it, you must first access the file with password and then disable the read-only. 


Now, I will show you how to retrieve the lost password. As for disabling read-only, you can check the 6 methods above.


download on Win


Step 1. Download the Password Genius to PC/Mac


Step 2. Go to the "Recover Passwords for Files and Archives" mode and select "Excel Password Recovery".

choose a office password recovery mode


Step 3. Click the "Open" icon on the left to open the Excel file to recover password.

click open to add a password locked file


Step 4. Select the attack mode from "Brute-force", "Mask", "Dictionary" and "Smart" and set the recovery options, and finally click the "Start" button.

start recovering password protection from file


download on Win


The tool that can also disable read-only in excel 2016 is PassFab for Excel. When you receive "Read-Only Recommended", it provides three modes that can easily unlock excel in a few minutes. The next time the same happens, you don’t need to worry anymore.



Tip 2. How to Set Excel 2010/2013/2016/2017 to "Read-only"

Sometimes, at work, you also need to put the Excel file in a "read-only" state, which I will briefly introduce here.


1. Lock the Workbook

Step 1. Find and click the Workbook you want to lock in the "Finder".


Step 2. Select "File" in the menu bar and then select "Get Info".


Step 3. Check the "Locked" checkbox under the "General" tab.


2. Editing restrictions

Step 1. Under the "Review" tab, select "Restrict Editing".

select restrict editing under review


Step 2. Mark the "Allow only this type of editing in the document" checkbox and make sure "No changes (Read only)" below it.

change the editing restrictions


Step 3. Scroll down the list and select "Yes, Start Enforcing Protection"

set excel 2016 to read only via editing restrictions



The Bottom Line

This article introduces 6 methods on how to disable read-only in Excel 2016, each with a different applicable scenario. Choosing the right one for your situation is the key to solving the problem. It also describes the ways to disable read-only without password and put Excel in read-only mode, which let you get to know more.


Please leave your feedback in the comments section below.


Last Updated: June 24, 2020

Author: Cori S. Kim  /     

Passionate about Smartphone products, aiming to provide useful methods as well as how-to tips to fix iPhone, iPad, Android related issues.


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