Lock cells in an Excel spreadsheet (worksheet) to prevent any changes to the data or formulas in a cell. A locked and protected cell can be unlocked at any time by the user who originally locked it. Follow the steps below to learn how to lock and protect cells in 2010 versions of Microsoft Excel, 2007, and 2003.
Step
Method 1 of 2: Excel 2007 and Excel 2010
![Lock Cells in Excel Step 1 Lock Cells in Excel Step 1](https://i.how-what-advice.com/images/003/image-6052-1-j.webp)
Step 1. Open the Excel worksheet that contains the cells you want to lock
![Lock Cells in Excel Step 2 Lock Cells in Excel Step 2](https://i.how-what-advice.com/images/003/image-6052-2-j.webp)
Step 2. Select one or more cells you want to lock
![Lock Cells in Excel Step 3 Lock Cells in Excel Step 3](https://i.how-what-advice.com/images/003/image-6052-3-j.webp)
Step 3. Right click on the cell, then select Format Cells
![Lock Cells in Excel Step 4 Lock Cells in Excel Step 4](https://i.how-what-advice.com/images/003/image-6052-4-j.webp)
Step 4. Click the tab labeled Protection
![Lock Cells in Excel Step 5 Lock Cells in Excel Step 5](https://i.how-what-advice.com/images/003/image-6052-5-j.webp)
Step 5. Check the box next to the option labeled Locked
![Lock Cells in Excel Step 6 Lock Cells in Excel Step 6](https://i.how-what-advice.com/images/003/image-6052-6-j.webp)
Step 6. Click OK
![Lock Cells in Excel Step 7 Lock Cells in Excel Step 7](https://i.how-what-advice.com/images/003/image-6052-7-j.webp)
Step 7. Click the tab labeled Review at the top of the Excel worksheet
![Lock Cells in Excel Step 8 Lock Cells in Excel Step 8](https://i.how-what-advice.com/images/003/image-6052-8-j.webp)
Step 8. Click the button labeled Protect Sheet from the Changes group
![Lock Cells in Excel Step 9 Lock Cells in Excel Step 9](https://i.how-what-advice.com/images/003/image-6052-9-j.webp)
Step 9. Check Protect worksheet and contents of locked cells
![Lock Cells in Excel Step 10 Lock Cells in Excel Step 10](https://i.how-what-advice.com/images/003/image-6052-10-j.webp)
Step 10. Enter the password into the text box labeled Password to unprotect sheet
![Lock Cells in Excel Step 11 Lock Cells in Excel Step 11](https://i.how-what-advice.com/images/003/image-6052-11-j.webp)
Step 11. Click OK
![Lock Cells in Excel Step 12 Lock Cells in Excel Step 12](https://i.how-what-advice.com/images/003/image-6052-12-j.webp)
Step 12. Retype the password into the text box labeled Reenter password to proceed
![Lock Cells in Excel Step 13 Lock Cells in Excel Step 13](https://i.how-what-advice.com/images/003/image-6052-13-j.webp)
Step 13. Click OK
The selected cells will now be locked and protected, and can only be unlocked by selecting the cells again, and then entering the selected password.
Method 2 of 2: Excel 2003
![Lock Cells in Excel Step 14 Lock Cells in Excel Step 14](https://i.how-what-advice.com/images/003/image-6052-14-j.webp)
Step 1. Open the Excel document that contains one or more cells that you want to lock
![Lock Cells in Excel Step 15 Lock Cells in Excel Step 15](https://i.how-what-advice.com/images/003/image-6052-15-j.webp)
Step 2. Select one or all cells you want to lock
![Lock Cells in Excel Step 16 Lock Cells in Excel Step 16](https://i.how-what-advice.com/images/003/image-6052-16-j.webp)
Step 3. Right-click on the cell selection, and select Format Cells from the drop-down menu
![Lock Cells in Excel Step 17 Lock Cells in Excel Step 17](https://i.how-what-advice.com/images/003/image-6052-17-j.webp)
Step 4. Click the Protection tab
![Lock Cells in Excel Step 18 Lock Cells in Excel Step 18](https://i.how-what-advice.com/images/003/image-6052-18-j.webp)
Step 5. Tick next to the column labeled Locked
![Lock Cells in Excel Step 19 Lock Cells in Excel Step 19](https://i.how-what-advice.com/images/003/image-6052-19-j.webp)
Step 6. Click the OK button
![Lock Cells in Excel Step 20 Lock Cells in Excel Step 20](https://i.how-what-advice.com/images/003/image-6052-20-j.webp)
Step 7. Click the Tools menu at the top of the Excel document
![Lock Cells in Excel Step 21 Lock Cells in Excel Step 21](https://i.how-what-advice.com/images/003/image-6052-21-j.webp)
Step 8. Select Protection from the list of options
![Lock Cells in Excel Step 22 Lock Cells in Excel Step 22](https://i.how-what-advice.com/images/003/image-6052-22-j.webp)
Step 9. Click on Protect Sheet
![Lock Cells in Excel Step 23 Lock Cells in Excel Step 23](https://i.how-what-advice.com/images/003/image-6052-23-j.webp)
Step 10. Tick next to the option labeled Protect worksheet and contents of locked cells
![Lock Cells in Excel Step 24 Lock Cells in Excel Step 24](https://i.how-what-advice.com/images/003/image-6052-24-j.webp)
Step 11. Type the password in the "Password to unprotect sheet" field that appears, then click OK
![Lock Cells in Excel Step 25 Lock Cells in Excel Step 25](https://i.how-what-advice.com/images/003/image-6052-25-j.webp)
Step 12. Enter the password in the "Reenter password to proceed" field that appears
![Lock Cells in Excel Step 26 Lock Cells in Excel Step 26](https://i.how-what-advice.com/images/003/image-6052-26-j.webp)
Step 13. Select OK. All selected cells will now be locked and protected, and can only be unlocked later by selecting the locked cells, and entering the password you initially set.
Tips
- If multiple users have access to the Excel document, lock all cells that contain important data or complex formulas to prevent the cells from being accidentally changed.
- If most of the cells in your Excel document contain valuable data or complex formulas, it's a good idea to lock or protect the entire document, and then open some of the cells that are allowed to change.