What Does It Mean to Have a Read Only Excel File
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 u.s. and asked:
I have an Excel file with some important functions. How tin can I share this file with my clients without allowing them to brand changes to it?
Jake Kurtz In this instance, it will exist necessary to protect the workbook from any changes intentional or otherwise by other users that have access to it.
Nosotros may still want to permit a user to make changes and save those with a new filename or to a different location.
A dandy 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 dissimilar version? No problem, you lot tin can still follow the exact same steps.
What do you desire to learn?
How to create a 'READ-ONLY' file
Allow'southward say nosotros maintain a monthly report that we make changes to as new data becomes bachelor.
We now need to share the updated written report to users that need the new data and metrics.
Nevertheless, we want to make certain that whatever changes fabricated past other users practise non become saved to the original file. Instead, these users volition be forced to rename the file – or to save it to a different location.
Kasper Langmann, Co-founder of Spreadsheeto We can do this by making sure other users tin can choose the pick of 'read-only' style to decrease (but not eliminate) take chances of the file beingness inverse.
The showtime pace in how to make a file 'read simply' is to enable the setting…
1: Go to the 'File' tab and select 'Relieve As'.
three: Click on the 'Tools' dropdown at the bottom of the 'Save Equally' dialog box.
4: Select 'General Options' from the list.
five: Make sure the 'Read-only recommended' box is checked in the 'Full general Options' dialog box and click 'OK'
vi: Select 'Save'.
Information technology's that simple.
Now every fourth dimension the file is opened, the user will be prompted to 'Open as read-only?'.
Note: This method allows the choice of 'Aye', 'No', or 'Cancel'
If the user clicks 'Yeah' to the question to open as 'read-only', no changes to the original file (name) tin be made.
This doesn't quite mean that we cannot make changes to the open file.
For anyone wondering how to change a 'read-just' file, at that place actually is a flake of a workaround.
Notation in the adjacent effigy that if we endeavour to save a 'read-only' file that information technology prompts us to change the file name or location.
So that's how to change a 'read-only' file!
Nosotros simply rename the 'Salve As' filename or salve information technology to a different file location.
Information technology'due south a pretty simple procedure to save a workbook as 'read-only' and information technology adds some actress command over the workbook.
Kasper Langmann, Co-founder of Spreadsheeto Simply it'due south really non protecting it from changes since each user that opens the workbook has the option not to open up in 'read-only'.
It's more of a reminder to anybody who might forget that "hey, don't mess this copy upwardly!".
At present that we have covered the steps to make a workbook file 'read-merely' allow's await at how nosotros remove the 'read-only' pick…
How to remove 'read-just'
Let's now turn to the task of how to remove 'read-only' recommendations from the file.
For instance, say it's to add new data and make some calculations. This updates the metrics for the stakeholders that utilize the report.
We need to have a fashion to remove 'read-only' from our file in order to hands relieve the changes to the electric current filename.
Kasper Langmann, Co-founder of Spreadsheeto I thing to note is that our workbook must non be open in 'read-merely' manner for us to be able to really relieve our changes afterwards we remove 'read-but'.
Remember…
When nosotros open a 'read-merely recommended' file that it prompts us for a 'Aye' or a 'No' to the question of whether we would like to open up as 'read-only' or non.
Nosotros need to click 'No' in society to be able to salve our changes.
one: When opening the file, select 'No' when prompted.
2: Click on 'File', then 'Save As' and and then click on 'Scan'.
3: Click on 'Tools' at the bottom of the 'Save As' dialog box and select 'General Options'.
4: In one case the 'General Options' dialog box appears, uncheck the box next to 'Read-only recommended'.
v: Then click 'OK' and the workbook is no longer in 'read-only' mode.
In that location are a couple of things to annotation about workbooks that are opened every bit 'read-only'…
Kasper Langmann, Co-founder of Spreadsheeto Starting time, if we open a file in 'read-only' at that place is an indication at the top of the file in the filename that the workbook is, in fact, 'read-but'.
Another thing to note is what volition happen if nosotros try and save changes to the aforementioned file that is in 'read-only' mode.
Every bit yous saw earlier, the only style to save changes to a 'read-only' file is by renaming it or saving it to a different location.
Determination
And then, there it is. The basic steps to both enabling and disabling 'read-only' style in Excel 2016.
It'south a uncomplicated technique that can provide more than control over the integrity of files without going to the extremes of things like password protection.
Furthermore, it yet allows other users to brand changes but ensures they can merely do and then by renaming the file or saving information technology to a unlike location than the original file.
Kasper Langmann, Co-founder of Spreadsheeto Source: https://spreadsheeto.com/read-only/
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