Excel, Word and ZIP Password Remover
Use the opening password you know to save an unlocked copy of an Excel, Word or ZIP file on your device.
Your protected file
One .xlsx file up to 16 MiB.
Enter the password that opens the file.
Unlocked copy
Choose a protected file to start.
Enter the known opening password and confirm you’re authorised to remove it.
Remove an Excel Opening Password
Use this free Excel password remover for a workbook you’re authorised to open and decrypt. The tool runs in your browser without an account.
- Choose Excel in the File format selector.
- Select the password-protected .xlsx workbook on your device.
- Enter its opening password and confirm you’re authorised to open the file and remove its opening password.
- Select Remove opening password. When the copy is ready, select Download unlocked copy.
An opening password encrypts the whole file. Excel can also protect the workbook structure or stop changes to cells within a worksheet. Those controls stay in the copy. If you can already open the workbook without a password, use Excel’s protection settings for the changes you’re authorised to make.
Unlock Word or ZIP With the Same Selector
Choose Word for a .docx document or ZIP for a .zip archive. Select the file, enter the password you use to open it and download the unlocked copy. Every encrypted member of the ZIP must accept the same password.
The tool accepts a subset of password-based Office Agile Encryption for Excel .xlsx and Word .docx. It supports AES-CBC with 128-, 192- or 256-bit keys and SHA-1, SHA-256, SHA-384 or SHA-512. The encryption settings must use 16-byte salts and one password key encryptor with 1 to 100,000 hash iterations. Word editing restrictions stay in place.
For ZIP archives, the tool accepts traditional ZipCrypto or AES password encryption and stored or deflated files.
You can select one file up to 16 MiB. ZIP archives can contain up to 1,000 entries and expand to 32 MiB. Use the desktop app for split ZIP archives, ZIP archives with symbolic links, certificate-protected files and older formats such as .xls and .doc.
Check the Unlocked Working Copy
Reopen the downloaded file and confirm it opens without the original password. Compare the sheets and formulas in Excel or the text and tables in Word. For a ZIP, compare the member names and open the files you need inside it.
The download is a separate copy. Keep the encrypted original until you’ve checked the copy. The new file has no opening encryption. Store it where your brokerage controls access and share it only with people authorised to see it.
Handle Wrong Passwords and Unsupported Files
If the password is rejected, check it in the app that normally opens the file. Enter it again with the same letter case and spaces. Ask for a replacement copy if you no longer know the password.
For an unsupported Excel workbook or Word document, open it with its password in the desktop app and work on a separate copy. In Excel for Windows, open File and select Info. Choose Protect Workbook, then Encrypt with Password, clear the password and save. In Word, follow Microsoft’s steps to remove the opening password.
For a ZIP the tool can’t read, use the desktop archive app that opens the original. Extract it with the known password to a folder you control, then create a new ZIP without encryption.
