Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated October 8, 2022)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365
Andre has a workbook that contains 52 worksheets. He would like to protect the worksheets, but not the workbook itself. Currently he individually protects all 52 sheets. He wonders if there is a way to protect them all in one go.
The only way to do this is to use a macro. Fortunately, the macro is quite short:
Sub ProtectAllSheets()
Dim ws As Worksheet
For Each ws In Worksheets
ws.Protect
Next
End Sub
When you run this macro, all of the worksheets in the workbook are protected, without specifying a password. (This means anyone can easily unprotect them.) If you want to specify a password, then you can do so with an easy modification:
Sub ProtectAllSheets()
Dim ws As Worksheet
For Each ws In Worksheets
ws.Protect Password:="MyPassword"
Next
End Sub
The password you specify will be used for each of the worksheets, meaning that all of them will use the same password.
You can easily modify these macros to unprotect all your worksheets by simply changing the .Protect method to .Unprotect.
You should also be aware that if your workbook or worksheets utilize some options that preclude worksheet protection (such as sharing), then the macros will generate an error.
An entirely different approach is to use a third-party utility to do the protecting. You can find such utilities with a quick Internet search; an example would be Asap Utilities (https://www.asap-utilities.com).
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (7511) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365.
Best-Selling VBA Tutorial for Beginners Take your Excel knowledge to the next level. With a little background in VBA programming, you can go well beyond basic spreadsheets and functions. Use macros to reduce errors, save time, and integrate with other Microsoft applications. Fully updated for the latest version of Office 365. Check out Microsoft 365 Excel VBA Programming For Dummies today!
Want to hide certain columns within a worksheet so the contents are not visible to others? The answer lies in formatting ...
Discover MoreIf you receive a protected worksheet that you want to edit, how do you proceed if you try to unprotect the worksheet and ...
Discover MoreIt is not unusual, in a corporate world, to be handed a worksheet whose source you don't know. If that worksheet is ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)
Got a version of Excel that uses the ribbon interface (Excel 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the menu interface.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2026 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments