Forgot Excel Password? How to Recover Excel Workbook Password

Dec. Posted by to Windows Topic

When it comes to Excel most of us set a password to protect important worksheets from being modified by others, it's not only necessary but also required. Excel is one of the best tools created by Microsoft to manage mathematical algorithms, and a single change can ruin a whole sheet. The encryption provided by the password keeps the work safe, especially if you are handling the numbers of your workplace. Unfortunately, given our human nature, we can forget Excel passwords by omission, and that can bring a whole level of problems on our end if we can't remember them. One of the great things about Excel is the fact that the tool supports VBA code so you can use a few means to recover the lost password and finish your work.

These are the three methods we recommend to remove password from Excel. Please select the one that you prefer most.

 

Part 1: Ask the Original Owner of the File for Correct Password

This is only useful if you are not the license holder of the worksheet you are working on. Most of the files related to the inner operations of a company are kept locked with passwords. You are given access to these archives on a need-to-know basis or because it's your job to handle them. Since many companies keep their oldest data safeguarded using digital means these days, is just a matter of asking the man in charge of the file system for the master password to reaccess the file.

 

Part 2: How to Recover Excel Workbook Password If Forgotten

Now we are going to discuss a couple of methods you can use if you are the sole owner of the worksheet and you lost the password. The only solution for this case is by using password recovery software as no one knows what is the password is. Excel Password Recovery is one of the software you can put the trust. The program is very smart for crack password from any edition of Microsoft Excel file with the help of 4 intelligent recovery engines. This amazing Excel Password Recovery allows you to find your lost password with ease, precision, and speed.

Supported File Types: Excel 2016, Excel 2013, Word, ZIP, RAR, Database and Windows login.

Step 1 Download a Copy of Excel Password Recovery

Please download Excel Password Recovery hosted on this website and install the program afterwards. The program will be opened by default when the installation is finished.

Excel Password Recovery

Step 2 Add Encrypted Excel File to the Program

From the main screen, click the first option labelled "Recovery Open Password from Excel ". You will be lead to a new window and then add the Excel file which is needed to recover the password.

Add Password Protected Excel

Step 3 Select Password Recovery Type

As we mentioned in above, there are 4 types of recovery engines available: Brute-force, Mask and Dictionary. Usually, Mask recovery engine is more welcomed becasue you can set the length, starting characters, Mask and user defined words.

Password Cracking Modes

Step 4 Start Recovering Password from Excel Workbook

After the settings were filled, click "Start" button to start the password recovery process. It would be ended in minutes if the password was less than 4 characters. For complex password combinations, it may take hours or days to fully crack the password. Once the password is recovered, you will see it on the screen.

Excel Password Recovered

Once the program find the password, it will be shown on the screen. Click "Copy" button and open the Excel worksheet with that password.

 

Part 3: Hashcat Free Excel Password Recovery (Command Line)

Hashcat is top-rated password recovery software designed to break the most complex passwords. The versatility of this software resides on the sophisticated algorithms that allows the program to run various cracking engines. The mechanics behind Hashcat are closely associated with the use of hash keys such as Whirpool, MD5, RipeMD, SHA, etc. All these protocols are designed as directional function keys, a mathematical operation that is very easy to come up with, but that it has proven to be nearly impossible to reverse engineer.

The program turns the readable data gathered by it into random strings of garble, most of them with a predetermined length size. It's important to notice that Hashes do not allow the decryption of data using keys. The means to break the encoding used by Hashcat are pre-programmed dictionaries, rainbow tables, and brute-force approach. Since the software doesn't require installation you can use it in one of two possible ways:

1st Method: Start the program, open the command window by pressings Win+x, and select "Windows PowerShell" then drag-and-drop the executable file on the command window that pop-ups. You will likely find an executable file named hashcat64.exe or hashcat32.exe according to the type of system you are using.

2nd Method: Again, run Hashcat and open the command window by pressings Win+x, and select "Windows PowerShell." This time you will use a command line to change the working directory in place to the one where the executable Hashcat file is located. After you are done start the program again. Now you only need to type the name of the executable file by indicating the current folder where it is. That folder will be easily identifiable because it contains a period in the title (.) After that, you will have to place backslash on it (/) and run the new executable using Hashcat throughout the instruction menu, under options.

Excel Password Cracking Hashcat

 

Closing Words:

Save or write the password if you were going to set up a protection for Excel file. I have seen many people coming across this issue in my office. Though it is kind of easy to recover the password, there is absolutely no need to waste time on it. It only takes seconds to unlock the workbook if you kept a copy of password.

 

Sophia Lee

Sophia Lee

Senior editor

Sophia is a senior editor of Androidsoft. She discovered the fascinating world of technology and constantly share the most practical tips and tricks for our users.

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