juanchorossi / excel_unprotect

Unprotect Your Forgotten Password Protected Spreadsheet (.xlsx, .xlsm)

This script helps you remove password protection from spreadsheet files (.xlsx, .xlsm) that you own and forgot the password to. It's important to understand that this script does not break passwords on files you don't own.

Before you begin:

• Make sure you have the permission to remove password protection from these files.
• This script modifies the original files. It's recommended to back up your files before running the script.

Requirements:

• Operating System: macOS or Linux
• Command Line: Basic understanding of using the command line is helpful, but not essential.

Instructions:

Save the script:

1. Open a text editor (e.g., Notepad, TextEdit, etc.).
2. Copy and paste the script provided below into the editor.
3. Save the file with a name like unprotect_sheets.sh (make sure the filename ends with .sh).

Make the script executable:

1. Open a terminal window (e.g., Command Prompt, Terminal, etc.).

2. Navigate to the directory where you saved the script using the cd command.

3. Type the following command and press Enter:

chmod +x unprotect_sheets.sh

4. In the terminal window, type the following command and press Enter:

./unprotect_sheets.sh <your_file.xlsx>

Replace <your_file.xlsx> with the actual path and filename of your password-protected spreadsheet file.

The script will:

• Extract the contents of your file to a temporary location.
• Remove the password protection information from the extracted files.
• Create a new file named <your_file>_unprotected. (e.g., my_report_unprotected.xlsx) containing the unprotected files.
• Delete the temporary files.

You can now open the new, unprotected zip file using your spreadsheet software.

Additional Notes:

• This script removes various types of password protection that may be applied to spreadsheet files.
• If the script doesn't work for your specific file, it's possible that the password protection method used is not supported.
• Using this script on files you don't own is not recommended and may be illegal.