Protecting a Worksheet's Format

Klara knows how to protect the contents of a worksheet by protecting cells. She wonders, however, if there is a way to protect only the format. She's not too concerned if the content changes, but she wants to protect the format.

You can easily protect the formatting of the worksheet, without regard for the contents. Just follow these steps:

1. Select all the cells in the worksheet.
2. Choose Cells from the Format menu. Excel displays the Format Cells dialog box. (To display the Format Cells dialog box in Excel 2007, display the Home tab of the ruler, click Format in the Cells group, and then choose Format Cells.)
3. Make sure the Protection tab is displayed. (Click here to see a related figure.)
4. Clear the Locked checkbox.
5. Click on OK to close the dialog box.
6. Choose Protection from the Tools menu, and then choose Protect Sheet from the submenu. Excel displays the Protect Sheet dialog box. (Click here to see a related figure.) To display the Protect Sheet dialog box in Excel 2007, display the Home tab of the ruler, click Format in the Cells group, and then choose Protect Sheet.
7. If you see a Format Cells check box in the dialog box (it isn't there in all versions of Excel), make sure it cleared.
8. You do not need to change any information in the dialog box, nor enter a password. Just click on OK.