Checking Lock Status of Cells

by Allen Wyatt (last updated May 21, 2016)

Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here: Checking Lock Status of Cells.

Excel allows you to easily change whether a cell is formatted as locked or unlocked. This attribute is handled on a cell-by-cell basis, even though the effects of the locking (or unlocking) are not evident until such point as you protect the entire worksheet.

Since locking and unlocking can be done on an individual cell basis, you may wonder if there is a way to display the lock status (locked or unlocked) of all your cells in a worksheet, at one time, without the need to check each cell individually.

The default lock status for cells is locked, so it probably makes more sense to select those cells that are unlocked. One way you can do that is to follow these steps, if you are using Excel 2003:

1. Press Ctrl+F. Excel displays the Find tab of Find and Replace dialog box.
2. Click the Options button to enlarge the dialog box.
3. Click the Format button at the right side of the Find What box. Excel displays the Find Format dialog box.
4. Make sure the Protection tab is displayed. (See Figure 1.)



Figure 1. The Protection tab of the Find Format dialog box.

5. Make sure the Locked check box is not selected.
6. Click OK to close the Find Font dialog box.
7. Click Find All.

At this point, Excel will do one of two things. If it finds any unlocked cells, the addresses of those cells are listed on the screen. If it doesn't find any unlocked cells, then it informs you that it can't find them.

The above technique only works in Excel 2003 because the capability to search for formatting was only added in that version of Excel. Regardless of the version you are using, you can use conditional formatting to highlight unlocked cells. Follow these steps:

1. Select all the cells you want to check. (You can select all the cells in the worksheet, if you desire.)
2. Choose Conditional Formatting from the Format menu. Excel displays the Conditional Formatting dialog box.
3. Change the left-most drop-down list to Formula Is. (See Figure 2.)



Figure 2. The Conditional Formatting dialog box.

4. In the formula area (to the right of the drop-down list), enter the following formula:

     =CELL("protect",A1)=0

1. Click the Format button. Excel displays the Format Cells dialog box. (See Figure 3.)



Figure 3. The Format Cells dialog box.

2. Change the formatting for the cells in any way desired.
3. Click OK to dismiss the Format Cells dialog box.
4. Click OK to dismiss the Conditional Formatting dialog box.

Now all the cells in your worksheet that are unlocked will have the formatting you defined in step 6.

Save Time and Supercharge Excel! Automate virtually any routine task and save yourself hours, days, maybe even weeks. Then, learn how to make Excel do things you thought were simply impossible! Mastering advanced Excel macros has never been easier. Check out Excel 2010 VBA and Macros today!