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: Opening a Workbook as Read-Only.

Opening a Workbook as Read-Only

by Allen Wyatt
(last updated November 7, 2018)

6

There may be times when you want to open a workbook as read-only. This means you will not be able to save any changes to the workbook you are loading. You can use the Save As option from the File menu in order to save the workbook using a different filename, however. Opening a workbook as read-only is self-insurance so you don't inadvertently mess up your file. To open a workbook as read-only, follow these steps:

  1. Select Open from the File menu, or click on the Open tool on the toolbar. You will see the Open dialog box.
  2. Locate the workbook you want to open and then click once on the filename.
  3. Click the down-arrow at the right side of the Open button. Excel displays a list of different ways you can open the workbook.
  4. Choose Open Read-Only from the menu.

If you are still using Excel 97, then the steps are a bit different.

  1. Select Open from the File menu, or click on the Open tool on the toolbar. You will see the Open dialog box.
  2. Locate the workbook you want to open and then click once on the filename.
  3. Click on the Commands and Settings button. (It is the right-most button on the toolbar in the Open dialog box.) This displays a Context menu.
  4. Choose Open Read Only from the Context menu.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2223) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Excel (Excel 2007 and later) here: Opening a Workbook as Read-Only.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

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Comments

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What is 3 - 2?

2017-08-11 04:18:23

Anton Thelander

Big thanks! Helped me. Generally worked for Excel 2013. Cheers and have a really nice day!

Anton from Sundsvall, Sweden

2016-12-13 10:39:54

Joey

Super stuff. I wanted to open a file without locking out someone else and without making it a shared file and this worked like a charm.

2015-10-02 00:03:13

caroline lynette

Hi,thanks very much for this solution.It really help me in my studies.

2014-07-04 08:57:27

sushil maurya

There may be times when you want to open a workbook as read-only. This means you will not be able to save any changes to the workbook you are loading. You can use the Save As option from the File menu in order to save the workbook using a different filename, however. Opening a workbook as read-only is self-insurance so you don't inadvertently mess up your file. To open a workbook as read-only, follow these steps:

2014-05-20 11:37:39

Miguel Costa

Hi, thanks for this solution. It works fine but I just wanted to know if there is any context action on windows that would allow you to define this as default behaviour or just to have a quick link like open as or something like this

2014-02-01 08:48:35

Barry Fitzpatrick

Whilst both of these methods work, it all to easy to accidentally open the workbook normally and then accidentally overwrite the original file with the modified version (if you have macros running these might even execute "Saves" behind the scenes).

This is especially true if it is someone else using the file.

I believe a better way is to set the properties of the file from within Windows Explorer to be "Read-only". Although this not infallible the modified file would have to be named before saving, or deliberately saved using the original files name (so overwriting the original) even then Windows complaining profusely..

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