Using password protection
You can assign a password to a notebook so that it can be opened only by authorized users. Using password levels, you can restrict users from viewing specific information or the entire notebook, and keep data from accidentally being changed. Notebooks with low, medium, high, and controls-only password protection are opened using different procedures.
You can change the password associated with a notebook. You can also disable a notebook’s password.
To assign a password to a notebook |  |
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1.
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Click Format
 Notebook properties. |
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2.
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Click the Password level tab.
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3.
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Enable one of the following options:
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None
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Low
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Medium
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High
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Edit with controls only
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4.
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Click OK.
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5.
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In the Enter password dialog box, type a password.
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6.
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In the Verify password dialog box, type the password again.
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Be sure to write down the password and keep it in a safe place. If you lose it, you are locked out of all or part of the protected notebook, depending on the password level.
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To open a file with low-level password protection | |
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1.
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Click File
Open. |
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2.
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Choose the drive and folder where the file is stored.
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3.
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Double-click the filename.
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4.
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Click Format
Notebook. |
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5.
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Click the Password level tab.
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6.
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Click Disable password.
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7.
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In the Enter password dialog box, type the password.
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If the password is not disabled you cannot to view or edit formulas in the notebook.
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Passwords are case-sensitive (for example, “MYBUDGET” and “mybudget” are different passwords).
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To open a file with medium-level password protection | |
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1.
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Click Start on the Windows taskbar, and click Run.
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2.
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Type qpw15.exe /s[password] [path] in the Open list box.
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For example, if you want to open a file called topsecurity.qpw that you’ve saved in the folder myfiles with the password sesame, you would type qpw15.exe /ssesame c:\myfiles\topsecurity.qpw.
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Medium-protected notebooks can be opened only by using a startup switch. For more information on startup switches, see “Using shortcut keys and startup switches.”
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Passwords are case-sensitive (for example, “MYBUDGET” and “mybudget” are different passwords).
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To open a file with high-level password protection | |
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1.
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Click File
Open. |
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2.
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Choose the drive and folder where the file is stored.
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3.
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Double-click the filename.
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4.
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In the Verify password dialog box, type the password.
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Syntax — ::ODMA\\DMSPath
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Example — ::ODMA\SOFTSOL\311\TEST\10\1 (this example is for SoftSolutions)
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Passwords are case-sensitive (for example, “MYBUDGET” and “mybudget” are different passwords).
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To open a file with controls-only password protection | |
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1.
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Click File
Open. |
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2.
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Choose the drive and folder where the file is stored.
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3.
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Double-click the filename.
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If you want to make changes to a spreadsheet that has controls-only password protection without using form controls, you must change the password level to None. For more information on assigning password levels, see “To assign a password to a notebook.”
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Passwords are case-sensitive (for example, “MYBUDGET” and “mybudget” are different passwords).
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To change a password for a notebook | |
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1.
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Click Format
Notebook. |
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2.
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Click the Password level tab.
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3.
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Click Change password.
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4.
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Type the old password in the Old password box.
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5.
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Type a new password in the New password box.
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6.
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Type the new password again in the Confirm password box.
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To disable a password for a notebook | |
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1.
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Click Format
Notebook. |
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2.
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Click the Password level tab.
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3.
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Click Disable password.
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4.
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In the Enter password dialog box, type the password.
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The password is disabled for the current session only (until the file is closed).
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