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How to protect workbook structure in Excel?

Author: Sun Last Modified: 2025-04-16

If you have designed a workbook’s structure, and do not want others to change it such as adding or deleting new worksheets except editing the cells, how can you do? Now I will tell you some tricks to protect workbook’s structure only in Excel.

Protect workbook structure

 Protect workbook structure

To protect workbook structure, you need to go to the Protect Structure and Window dialog.

1. Open the "Protect Structure and Window" dialog. And there are two ways to open it:

Method 1 (Excel 2007 cannot use this method, please go to method 2)

Click "File" > "Info" > "Protect Workbook" > "Protect Workbook Structure". See screenshot:

click protect workbook structure feature from file tab

Method 2

Click "Review" > "Protect Workbook". See screenshot:

click protect workbook from review tab

2. Then in the "Protect Structure and Windows" dialog, check "Structure" option and type the password into the text box, then click "OK"; and retype the password again into the text box of "Confirm Password" dialog. See screenshot:

check Structure and enter password
retype the password

3. Click "OK". Now the workbook cannot be change the structure without a password.

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