How to Change an Excel Sheet from Read Only

A quick guide to editing a read-only spreadsheet

Written by Darlene Antonelli, MA

Last Updated: February 11, 2022

This wikiHow will teach you how to change an Excel sheet from a read-only status using a computer. If you're the owner of the file, this is a fairly simple process; however, if you're not the original creator of the file, there are limited solutions to this issue.

Steps

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1
Open your project in Excel. If you're in Excel, you can go to File > Open or you can right-click the file in your file browser.
- This method works for Excel for Microsoft 365, Excel for Microsoft 365 for Mac, Excel for the web, Excel 2019-2007, and Excel 2019-2011 for Mac.
- If you open an Excel file that was sent to you and it opens but gives you a pop-up warning that read-only is recommended, you can click either Yes if you don't want to make edits or No if you want to make edits. To prevent that pop-up from appearing in the future, go to File > Save As > Browse > Tools > General Options and deselect "Read-only recommended."
- Some files may not let you edit unless you enter a password. You'll be prompted for this password when you open the file; if you cannot type the right key, you will not be able to edit the file.
2
Click the File tab. You'll find this either above your document editing space or running along the top of your screen.
- If the file was sent to you as "final", all you need to do is click the Edit Anyway button that's at the top of your screen in the yellow/orange banner.^{[1]
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You'll see this in the menu that drops-down or slides out.
" This will change your document from prompting to open in a read-only status.^{[2]
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