How to Make a File Read Only in Excel

This article explains how to make a file read-only in Excel. Read-only means that the file can be opened and viewed, but not edited or saved. This can be useful when you want to protect your file from accidental or unauthorized changes. For example, you can make a file read-only in Excel if you want to share it with others, but don’t want them to modify it.

To make a file read-only in Excel, you need to follow these steps:

  1. Open the file that you want to make read-only in Excel.
  2. Go to the File tab on the ribbon and click on Save As.
  3. A dialog box will appear where you can choose the location and name of your file. Click on the Browse button to select a folder and enter a file name.
  4. Another dialog box will appear where you can see the Save As options. Click on the Tools button at the bottom and select General Options from the drop-down menu.
  5. A new dialog box will appear where you can set the password and protection options for your file. Check the box that says Read-only recommended and click OK.
  6. Click Save to save your file with the read-only option.

This is how you can make a file read-only in Excel. The next time you open your file, a message will appear asking if you want to open it as read-only or not. If you choose read-only, your file will be opened but not editable or savable. If you choose not read-only, your file will be opened normally, but you will need to save it with a different name or location if you want to keep the changes.

This article has shown how to make a file read-only in Excel. This feature can help you to prevent unwanted changes to your file and preserve its original state.