Which option in Excel allows you to protect a worksheet from unauthorized editing?

a) Lock Cells

b) Hide Sheet

c) Freeze Panes

d) Password Protect

Show Answer

a) Lock Cells

In Microsoft Excel, you can protect a worksheet from unauthorized editing by using the “Protect Sheet” feature. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Open your Excel workbook and go to the worksheet you want to protect.
2. Click on the “Review” tab in the Excel ribbon at the top of the window.
3. In the “Changes” group, you’ll find the “Protect Sheet” option. Click on it.
4. A “Protect Sheet” dialog box will appear. Here, you can set a password to prevent unauthorized users from making changes to the protected sheet. Enter a password if you want to use one.
5. You can also specify what actions users are allowed to perform on the protected sheet by checking or unchecking the options provided in the dialog box. For example, you can allow users to select locked cells, format cells, or insert rows/columns, and so on.
6. Click “OK” when you’ve configured the settings to your preference.
7. If you set a password, you’ll be prompted to confirm it. Enter the password again to confirm.

Once you’ve protected the sheet, only those who know the password (if you set one) will be able to make changes to the protected worksheet. Keep the password in a safe place, as Excel does not have a built-in password recovery mechanism.