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: Protecting a Worksheet's Format.

Protecting a Worksheet's Format

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated June 22, 2019)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


7

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.
  3. Make sure the Protection tab is displayed. (See Figure 1.)
  4. Figure 1. The Protection tab of the Format Cells dialog box.

  5. Clear the Locked checkbox.
  6. Click on OK to close the dialog box.
  7. Choose Protection from the Tools menu, and then choose Protect Sheet from the submenu. Excel displays the Protect Sheet dialog box. (See Figure 2.)
  8. Figure 2. The Protect Sheet dialog box.

  9. 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.
  10. You do not need to change any information in the dialog box, nor enter a password. Just click on OK.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (3515) 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: Protecting a Worksheet's Format.

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. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Setting a Default for the Object Browser

Does it bother you that when you press Ctrl+Page Up or Ctrl+Page Down you aren't always taken to the top of the previous ...

Discover More

Inserting a Non-Breaking Hyphen

Non-breaking hyphens can come in helpful for some types of writing. They force the words (or characters) on both sides of ...

Discover More

Pushing Dates Into Last Month

Excel is great when it comes to working with dates and times. You can even do math on dates. One such easy manipulation ...

Discover More

Dive Deep into Macros! Make Excel do things you thought were impossible, discover techniques you won't find anywhere else, and create powerful automated reports. Bill Jelen and Tracy Syrstad help you instantly visualize information to make it actionable. You’ll find step-by-step instructions, real-world case studies, and 50 workbooks packed with examples and solutions. Check out Microsoft Excel 2019 VBA and Macros today!

More ExcelTips (menu)

Referencing a Worksheet Name

Excel provides ways to reference the column or row number of a cell, but it doesn't provide a built-in way to reference a ...

Discover More

Running a Macro when a Worksheet is Activated

Want to run a macro when you first select a worksheet? You can do so by using one of the event handlers built into Excel, ...

Discover More

Forcing a Worksheet to be Protected Again

Excel allows you to protect your worksheets so they can only be changed as you want to have happen. If you unprotect a ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 9 - 3?

2021-11-18 17:08:47

Just helping

You can see the protection options said in the article on Review Tab > Changes > Protect Sheet.


2021-02-01 09:08:18

microsoftax

Its a known issue for 10 + years and there is no easy fix unless you want to learn some VB..


2020-04-29 17:14:34

Chuck Mock

This doesn't work for unlocked cells when the sheet is locked. If I lock the sheet to protect formulae but leave cells unlocked so user can enter data, the unlocked cell's format is lost if the user uses a "Clear All" command to clear contents. I would like to allow the user to access and change values in cells without being able to change cell format (font, fill color, font color). "Clear all" seems to clear conditional formats as well, not good. Is there a way to disable the "Clear All" command?


2020-02-13 19:59:58

unikorn

It works only if you are entering the data. If you paste data from another source with different formatting, the formatting in the protected sheet gets overwritten. This is such a basic thing but overlooked by Microsoft. And it is so frustrating!!! I have numbers data coming from clients, that get converted to scientific notation in the template, and no matter how I try protecting the format, it simply does not work!


2019-12-13 13:52:52

D.evans

How do I format who's in a locked excel spreadsheet? I need my spreadsheet to notify me that a certain person is in the spreadsheet so that I may ask my employee to get out of it when needed.


2019-12-05 03:06:38

MKirby

Doesn't work. It locks the formatting commands, but if I paste a value into a cell, I still lose the formatting. I can't preserve the formatting so it can't be changed.


2019-10-02 11:23:56

David

Hello,

Can I lock the formatting for my whole sheet, while locking the contents of some cells as well?

Thanks,

David


This Site

Got a version of Excel that uses the menu interface (Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, or Excel 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.