Excel Password Remover Software - Recovery for XLS, XLSX

How to recover your Excel password

1. Add your locked files

Open the program and drop in a single file or a whole folder of .xlsx and .xls workbooks.

2. Press Start

The program first tries to remove sheet or workbook protection, which needs no password. If it still needs an open password, the program starts searching and shows the speed and an estimated time.

3. Get back in

Once the protection is gone, save the unprotected workbook. For an open password, the program shows you the password so you can open the file in Excel yourself.

One Start button

There is no mode to choose. You press Start and the program picks right step for your file. First it removes sheet or workbook protection. Then, if the file is still locked, it looks for the open password. A progress bar shows the speed, the estimated time and a Stop button.

Protection removed without a password

A locked sheet or a locked workbook structure is not encryption. It is a flag inside the .xlsx file. As Excel sheet unprotect software, SoftOrbits clears that flag and returns editable workbook, so you skip the fiddly zip-and-XML edit people do by hand.

Recovery that is honest about the odds

For an open password, the program searches common and human-style passwords with rule-based variations, which is how it finds the passwords people actually pick. A long random password on Office 2013 and newer is protected with AES-256, so recovering it is not realistic - the program tells you that instead of promising the impossible. A graphics card makes the search faster; a plain CPU works too, with a time estimate first.

See the result before you register

The trial does the full job and shows you a preview: the unprotected content, or the recovered password with a few characters hidden. Nothing is saved for free. Once you register, you save the clean file or read the full password.

Who this Excel password remover is for

Office and finance users

You put an open password on a budget or payroll workbook months ago and now need it for a deadline you cannot push. The program recovers the password so you get back to work.

IT admins and power users

You take over a file share or a colleague's laptop full of protected sheets with no password written down anywhere. The program takes the protection off, so you can edit or audit the workbooks right away.

Owners of old .xls archives

You dig out years-old legacy .xls accounting files, the note with the password is long gone, and tax season needs them. Older files use weaker protection, so these usually open fast.

What to expect by file type

File type	What is locked	What the program does
Modern Excel (.xlsx, .xlsm)	Sheet or workbook protection	Removed right away, no password needed
Modern Excel (.xlsx)	Open password (AES encryption)	Human-style passwords can be recovered; a long, complex one cannot
Legacy Excel (.xls)	Open password (older RC4)	Recovered quickly, whatever the password length

Download for Free

Excel Password Recovery

Languages

File Size

60 Mb

Version

1.0

Last updated on

20/05/26

$ 19.99

🖥️ System Requirements

Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7 (32/64 bit)
Intel i3, AMD Ryzen 5 or above
4 GB of RAM or above
NVIDIA® GeForce® series 8 and 8M, Intel® HD Graphics 2000, Quadro FX 4800, Quadro FX 5600, AMD Radeon™ R600, Mobility Radeon™ HD 4330, Mobility FirePro™ series, Radeon™ R5 M230 or higher graphics card with up-to-date drivers
1280 × 768 screen resolution, 32-bit color
1 GB of free hard disk space or above

🙋 Frequently Asked Questions

❓ How do I unlock an Excel file if I forgot the password?

It depends of what is locked. If a sheet or the workbook structure is protected, the program removes that protection with no password at all. If the whole file needs an open password, the program searches for the one you chose and shows it to you, so you can open the file yourself.

❓ Can I remove password protection from an Excel file?

Yes, when the protection is a locked sheet or workbook. That kind of protection is a flag inside the file, not encryption, so the program clears it and gives you editable workbook.

❓ How do I unprotect an Excel sheet if I forgot the password?

Add the file and press Start. Sheet protection comes off without a password, because it is not encrypted. You do not have to remember anything or edit the file by hand.

❓ How do I get an Excel spreadsheet out of protected mode?

If you mean a protected sheet or workbook, the program takes the protection off in one pass. If you mean Protected View, that is just a safety banner in Excel - click Enable Editing and you are in; no tool is needed for that one.

❓ How do you unlock an Excel file that has been locked?

Drop the locked .xlsx or .xls file in and press Start. Sheet and workbook protection are removed. An open password is searched for and shown once it is found.

❓ Is it legal to recover the password to my own Excel file?

Recovering access to a file you own is fine. The program is meant for your own workbooks, not for opening files that belong to someone else without their permission.

❓ Does my spreadsheet get uploaded anywhere?

No. The whole job runs on your computer, so a workbook full of financial or personal data is never handed to an online service.

❓ Can it recover any Excel password, even a long strong one?

No, and any tool that promises that is not being straight with you. Excel 2013 and newer protect the open password with AES-256, so a long random password can take years of computing. The program recovers human-chosen passwords and tells you upfront when one is out of reach.

❓ Does it work with old .xls files?

Yes. Legacy Office 97-2003 .xls files use an older and weaker encryption, so recovering their open password is usually fast. Modern .xlsx files are handled too, both for taking protection off and for recovering a password.

Excel Password Remover Software for Your Own XLS and XLSX Files