How to Unprotect All Sheets in a Workbook at Once

Updated · about 4 min read

A workbook with 15 protected tabs means 15 trips through Review → Unprotect Sheet. Here are two ways to do the whole file in one go — a VBA macro if you have the password, and a browser tool if you don't.

Option A: Unprotect every sheet in your browser

If you don't have the password, or you just want the fastest route, a tool that edits the file's XML directly removes protection from all sheets in a single pass — including chart sheets and workbook-structure protection. There's nothing to repeat per tab.

1. Open the unlocker tool.
2. Drag your workbook onto the drop zone.
3. The tool removes protection from every worksheet and the workbook structure, then downloads the result. Done in one step regardless of how many tabs there are.

Option B: A VBA macro

If you already know the password and would rather stay inside Excel, a short macro loops through all sheets and unprotects each. This keeps everything in the app and is handy if you do it often.

1. Press Alt + F11 to open the VBA editor (on Mac, Fn + Option + F11).
2. Go to Insert → Module.
3. Paste the code below, replacing YourPassword with the real password.
4. Press F5 to run it.

Sub UnprotectAllSheets()
    Dim ws As Worksheet
    For Each ws In ThisWorkbook.Worksheets
        ws.Unprotect Password:="YourPassword"
    Next ws
    MsgBox "All sheets unprotected."
End Sub

Which should you use?