Special Edition Using Microsoft® Office XP

Protecting a Worksheet

If you store Excel workbooks only on your own PC, you can control exactly how and when you change the data and structure of each worksheet. In a typical workgroup environment, however, you'll often save a workbook to a shared folder on your company's network. How do you maintain the confidentiality of sensitive data? And how do you allow co-workers to view the contents of a workbook without changing crucial data or formulas, either deliberately or by accident?

If you must store sensitive workbook files in shared network folders that are accessible to everyone, lock them up with passwords. Excel lets you create two levels of access to limit an unauthorized user's ability to opening or modifying a workbook. For finer control ...