excel glitch

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excel glitch

Jessica McGahan 0

For my job I use spreadsheets to keep track of data. When reporting this data, I save my password protected document as a new file and remove passwords via File-->Save As-->Browse-->Tools-->General Options and then I remove the password. For the last week, when I try to do this (or when I try to remove a password within the document itself before saving) the password dots are not in the field but, once saved, I am still prompted for the password upon opening. Also, the password prompt now looks different (black prompt window versus a white one) when no settings were ever changed. How do I fix this?

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2 answers

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Answer 1

Hendrix-C 14,000 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi @Jessica McGahan,

Based on your sharing, I think the protection that's prompting you later is a different one compared to the protection that you intended to remove earlier.

Excel protections have separated types: file-level passwords (to open/modify), workbook structure protection, worksheet protection and sensitivity-label encryption. When you use General Options, you are dealing with the password to open/modify the Excel file so if the workbook or worksheet still has passwords protections, you can still be prompted. The behavior that you mentioned "the password prompt now looks different" also helps prove there is a different protection in your Excel file beside the initial one. Therefore, I suggest you can try checking the current file to see if there is any other password protection:

Open the file and go to Review tab > check Unprotect Sheet/Unprotect Workbook on every sheet
Go to File > Info > Protect Workbook > Encrypt with Password > clear the password box
Check if any confidential or higher sensitivity label is applied in Home tab > Sensitivity
After that, try again with the General options to see if you see the prompt again

For further assistance, please share me the exact wording of the prompt so I can clearly understand the situation to provide the most appropriate guidance for your concern.

Please understand that my initial response does not always resolve the issue immediately. However, you can try these steps and let me know if it works for you. If not, we can work together to find a solution.

If you have any questions or need further assistance, please feel free to share them in the comments on this post so I can continue to support you.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. I'm looking forward to your reply.

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Jessica McGahan 0 Reputation points

2026-04-08T17:27:38.78+00:00

This would help if this wasn't something I do weekly. This problem is new and the passwords have always been there the same way. That is why I say it's a glitch. They are always saved the same way and I have never had a problem until last week. Also, the problem is only on certain computers in my office. If I try to do it from someone else's computer, I can do it like normal. The password isn't there when I try to remove it. No matter what option I choose to attempt to remove, it's not there. However, I still have to put in the password when reopening the file.
Hendrix-C 14,000 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-04-08T22:45:28.7866667+00:00
Hi @Jessica McGahan,

Greatly appreciate your detailed update. It helps me clearly understand the situation you are experiencing.

In that case, the problem is not within the workbook itself, and as you said it really sounds like a glitch with Excel in those specific machines.

For the affected computers, I suggest trying these two steps to narrow down the issue:

1/ Disable add-ins

Go to File > Options > Add-ins > select Excel Add-ins > Go > uncheck all listed add-ins and click OK. Repeat the same steps with the COM add-ins

Restart Excel and check if the error is gone. Then re-enable the add-ins one by one and restarting Excel each time to find which one causing the error.

2/ Run Office Repair

Go to Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features. 

Find Microsoft Office, right-click, and choose Change. 

Select Quick Repair. If that doesn’t work, try Online Repair.

If the issue still persists, I highly recommend contacting your IT department for further assistance. Your admin may have elevated permissions to perform deeper troubleshooting and if necessary, they can escalate the issue to Microsoft Support by submitting a support ticket through the Microsoft 365 Admin Center, which may help identify any backend causes related to the issue. As a forum moderator, I genuinely wish I could directly access the affected device or delve into the backend systems to diagnose and fix this for you. However, my role here is limited to providing general guidance and solutions that can be applied by users.

Thank you for your patience and understanding. I'm looking forward to your reply.
Jessica McGahan 0 Reputation points

2026-04-09T15:27:54.0733333+00:00

Unfortunately, this did not work. This is now happening to all devices in the office so I bet it may be something that changed within the most recent update. I really do appreciate your help.
Hendrix-C 14,000 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-04-10T16:53:19.06+00:00

Hi @Jessica McGahan,

Greatly appreciate your update and I'm really sorry that the issue has become more serious since it's affecting all devices now.

In this case, I can only suggest contact your IT department so that the Global Admin in your organization create a service request with Microsoft Support. A technical support engineer can perform a remote session to investigate the situation, verify the backend configurations, and run any necessary synchronization tools to resolve the problem. If the issue requires further attention, they can escalate it to a specialized team for deeper analysis.

If you don't know who your IT administrator is, please refer to this article: How do I find my Microsoft 365 admin? - Microsoft Support and ask for their help to create a service request with Microsoft support for advanced technical assistance and diagnostics. For detailed instructions on how to get support ticket, please refer to Get support - Microsoft 365 admin.

I truly hope you get your issue resolved swiftly. Please know that even though I can't directly intervene due to lack of permissions, directing you to the correct, specialized support is the most effective help I can provide from my position.

Thank you for your patience and understanding. Wishing you a great day ahead.

Answer 2

The behavior indicates that workbook- or sheet-level protection is still applied inside the file, even after removing the open/modify password in the Save As dialog.

To reliably remove passwords and protection, use the Review tab commands rather than only the Save As → Tools → General Options path:

Open the workbook using the current password.
On the Review tab:
- Click Unprotect Sheet for each protected worksheet and enter the password.
- Click Protect Workbook → then Unprotect Workbook (or similar option) and enter the password.
- This removes sheet/workbook protection. Clicking Unprotect Sheet automatically removes the password from that sheet.
Still on the Review tab, if a password is required to open or modify the workbook:
- Click Protect Workbook.
- In the Password box, clear any password, and in Verify clear it again.
- Choose any other protection options needed and click OK.
Save the workbook.

If a password is set only at file level (open/modify password) and not via Review tab, remove it like this:

Open the workbook with the password.
Use File → Save As.
In Tools → General Options, clear the password fields so they are completely empty.
Save the file, overwriting the original if desired.

After these steps, reopening the file should no longer prompt for a password. If prompts persist or look different (black dialog vs. white), that is typically due to an Office or Windows UI/theme update, not a separate protection setting.

References:

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