Make some cells in an Excel sheet password protected?

I have an Excel 2010 file that I do not want to have a password for, but I do want to lock certain cells so that I do not accidentally edit them.

Can certain cells be made read-only without a password?

Solution 1:

Yes they can.

From: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/214081

Select the entire worksheet by clicking the Select All button (the gray rectangle in the upper-left corner of the worksheet where the row 1 and column A headings meet), or by pressing CTRL+A or CTRL+SHIFT+SPACEBAR.

Show the format cells dialog box by clicking the Expand button to the bottom right of the Font section of the Home ribbon, and then click Protection tab. Click to clear the Locked check box and click OK.

Select the cells that you want to protect. To select nonadjacent (noncontiguous) cells, hold down CTRL and click the cells that you want to protect.

Return to the Format Cells dialog box, and then click the Protection tab. Click to select the Locked check box, and then click OK.

Click the Review tab, and click Protect Sheet. (Type a password, if you want one.) Then click OK.