Excel Tips – Protect Certain Part of Spreadsheet from Changes

Sometimes we want to block users from making any changes to our important data area but elsewhere within the same worksheet they can make any changes they wish for. By default when we set the protect worksheet, the entire worksheet is being protected. How do we actually make the setting, so that only selected area within the same worksheet cannot be modified?

1. Click on the top left of the worksheet or press Ctrl+A to Select All
   
   
   
   
2. Press Ctrl+1 to open up the Format Cells dialog box
3. Click on the Protection tab
4. Clear the Locked check box
5. Click OK
   
   
   
   
6. Highlight the area in the data area.
   
   
   
   
7. Open the Format Cells dialog box again
8. This time around, check the Locked check box
9. Click OK
   
   
   
   
10. Next step is to protect the worksheet
11. Click on the Review tab, Changes group, Protect Sheet command button (for MS Excel 2003 – Click on the Tools menu, Protection, Protect Sheet)
    
    
    
    
12. Type a password to unprotect sheet
13. Reenter the password
    
    
    
    
14. Try to make changes on the selected data area
15. The message box below will come out
    
    
    

Now all is being set, users are not allowed to make any changes on the selected data area.

- Siti Suriani