Can you protect and unprotect all the sheets in a book at once

Protecting a workbook has a different effect than protecting individual sheets.

You can use macros to protect/unprotect all worksheets:

Sub ProtectAll()

    Dim wsh As Worksheet

    For Each wsh In Worksheets

        wsh.Protect Password:="Secret"

    Next wsh

End Sub

Sub UnprotectAll()

    Dim wsh As Worksheet

    For Each wsh In Worksheets

        wsh.Unprotect Password:="Secret"

    Next wsh

End Sub

If you wish, you can assign these macros to custom Quick Access Toolbar buttons and/or custom keyboard shortcuts.

You need a macro to do that.

Google: excel protect all sheets macro

Here is one good site: https://www.sumproduct.com/thought/protect-unprotect-multiple-worksheets.html

best wishes

By default, all cells are locked, but this only becomes effective when you protect the sheet.

You have to select the cells/ranges that the user must be able to edit.

Press Ctrl+1 to activate the Format Cells dialog.

Activate the Protection tab.

Clear the Locked check box.

Click OK.

Repeat this for each sheet.

Then run the ProtectAll macro, after changing "Secret" to the password that you want to use. The macro will loop through all the worksheets and protect them with the password that you provided.

Don't forget to change "Secret" in the UnprotectAll macro too: the password to unprotect must be the same as the password you protected the sheets with, of course.