How To Create A Read-Only File In Excel And How To Remove It Too!

Written by co-founder Kasper Langmann, Microsoft Office Specialist.

Sometimes we may have an Excel workbook that would be sensitive to changes.

For instance, Jake, who reached out to us and asked:

I take an Excel file with some important functions. How tin I share this file with my clients without allowing them to make changes to it?

Jake Kurtz

In this case, it volition be necessary to protect the workbook from whatever changes intentional or otherwise by other users that have access to it.

We may still desire to permit a user to make changes and save those with a new filename or to a different location.

A cracking way to ensure the integrity of such a workbook file would be to enable the 'read-only recommendation'.

Kasper Langmann, Co-founder of Spreadsheeto

*This tutorial is for Excel 2019/Microsoft 365 (for Windows). Got a different version? No problem, you lot tin can still follow the exact same steps.

What do you desire to larn?

How to create a 'READ-ONLY' file

Let'due south say we maintain a monthly report that we make changes to as new data becomes available.

We now demand to share the updated report to users that demand the new data and metrics.

Withal, we want to make sure that whatsoever changes made past other users practise not become saved to the original file. Instead, these users will be forced to rename the file – or to relieve it to a different location.

Kasper Langmann, Co-founder of Spreadsheeto

We tin do this by making sure other users tin can choose the choice of 'read-merely' fashion to decrease (but not eliminate) risk of the file beingness changed.

The first step in how to make a file 'read only' is to enable the setting

1: Go to the 'File' tab and select 'Salvage Equally'.

Save As menu
Browse

three: Click on the 'Tools' dropdown at the lesser of the 'Save As' dialog box.

Tools drop-down

4: Select 'General Options' from the list.

v: Brand sure the 'Read-only recommended' box is checked in the 'General Options' dialog box and click 'OK'

Read-only checkbox

6: Select 'Salve'.

It'south that unproblematic.

Now every time the file is opened, the user will be prompted to 'Open every bit read-just?'.

Open as read-only prompt?

Annotation: This method allows the selection of 'Aye', 'No', or 'Cancel'

If the user clicks 'Yes' to the question to open as 'read-but', no changes to the original file (proper name) can be fabricated.

This doesn't quite mean that we cannot brand changes to the open file.

For anyone wondering how to modify a 'read-only' file, in that location actually is a chip of a workaround.

Note in the side by side figure that if we try to save a 'read-simply' file that it prompts us to change the file proper name or location.

Change name or save location

And then that'due south how to change a 'read-but' file!

We simply rename the 'Save Equally' filename or salvage it to a different file location.

It'due south a pretty simple process to salve a workbook every bit 'read-only' and it adds some extra control over the workbook.

Kasper Langmann, Co-founder of Spreadsheeto

Merely it's really not protecting it from changes since each user that opens the workbook has the pick not to open in 'read-only'.

It's more of a reminder to anybody who might forget that "hey, don't mess this re-create upwards!".

Now that we have covered the steps to make a workbook file 'read-only' allow'due south look at how nosotros remove the 'read-only' option…

How to remove 'read-only'

Permit's now turn to the chore of how to remove 'read-but' recommendations from the file.

For instance, say it'south to add new data and brand some calculations. This updates the metrics for the stakeholders that utilise the report.

We need to have a way to remove 'read-only' from our file in guild to easily save the changes to the electric current filename.

Kasper Langmann, Co-founder of Spreadsheeto

One thing to notation is that our workbook must not exist open in 'read-only' mode for us to be able to actually salvage our changes later on nosotros remove 'read-simply'.

Remember…

When we open a 'read-only recommended' file that it prompts u.s.a. for a 'Yes' or a 'No' to the question of whether nosotros would similar to open as 'read-merely' or not.

Nosotros demand to click 'No' in club to be able to relieve our changes.

1: When opening the file, select 'No' when prompted.

Read-Only prompt

ii: Click on 'File', then 'Save Every bit' and and then click on 'Scan'.

Browse

three: Click on 'Tools' at the bottom of the 'Relieve Equally' dialog box and select 'Full general Options'.

4: Once the 'General Options' dialog box appears, uncheck the box next to 'Read-only recommended'.

Uncheck read-only recommended box

5: Then click 'OK' and the workbook is no longer in 'read-only' style.

There are a couple of things to note nearly workbooks that are opened as 'read-but'…

Kasper Langmann, Co-founder of Spreadsheeto

First, if we open a file in 'read-only' there is an indication at the top of the file in the filename that the workbook is, in fact, 'read-only'.

Read-only indication in filename

Some other affair to note is what volition happen if nosotros endeavour and salve changes to the same file that is in 'read-only' fashion.

Cannot save as that name

Equally y'all saw before, the only manner to save changes to a 'read-only' file is by renaming it or saving it to a different location.

Conclusion

So, there it is. The basic steps to both enabling and disabling 'read-but' manner in Excel 2016.

It's a simple technique that tin provide more control over the integrity of files without going to the extremes of things like password protection.

Furthermore, it still allows other users to brand changes merely ensures they can simply do so by renaming the file or saving it to a different location than the original file.

Kasper Langmann, Co-founder of Spreadsheeto