Test a Password to Open on a Disposable ONLYOFFICE Workbook Copy

Quick answer

For a local file, use the password feature documented under Protection → Encrypt, not the separate Protect Sheet or Protect Workbook controls. The desktop-specific documentation describes a password required to open the file. Verify that behavior on the exact saved copy before relying on it.

A forgotten password cannot be restored or reset through the documented feature. Never start with the only copy of an important workbook. The desktop password guide is the authority for this local-file procedure; the general spreadsheet password reference also lists the toolbar controls.

Scope and limits

This is a documentation-qualified exercise for free ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors, using English controls and a local XLSX file. Sources were checked on 21 October 2026. No password was created or collected for this article, and no native application, encryption-strength, reopen or compatibility test was run. The article is not a security certification or a claim about hosted/mobile access permissions.

File access, editable cells and tab structure are different questions. See workbook structure protection for tab operations and sheet/cell protection for allowed input cells. Hiding a sheet is not a substitute for controlling access to the file.

Prepare a harmless recovery checkpoint

Create a new practice workbook with no real personal or business information:

Cell	Entry
A1	Practice quantity
B1	Practice unit value
C1	Check amount
A2	7
B2	6
C2	=A2*B2
A4	Disposable password exercise only

The independent arithmetic result is 42. Save this as password-baseline.xlsx, close it and reopen it to confirm the input cells and formula. Keep this baseline unchanged.

Make a separate working copy named password-practice.xlsx. Confirm its active filename before proceeding. Choose your own unique disposable practice password and retain it safely outside the workbook. Do not reuse an account password, put a real secret in the cells, or send the password to this website or an assistant.

Add the password and verify the exact file

In the working copy, choose Protection → Encrypt, enter the chosen password twice and confirm with OK. Passwords are case-sensitive. The documented alternative is File → Protect → Add password.

Save the working copy, close it and reopen that exact file from its known folder, not merely another tab with a similar name. The documented expectation is a password prompt. If the copy opens directly without one, stop: do not mark it protected or use it for sensitive data. Confirm the path, filename and save operation in your installed build.

Enter your practice password locally to open the file. Verify A2 is 7, B2 is 6, and C2 still contains =A2*B2 with result 42. Then change A2 to 8. The expected new result is 48. Restore A2 to 7 and verify 42 again before saving. This checks the calculation survived; it does not measure encryption strength.

Change or remove a known password deliberately

Changing a password requires opening the protected copy first. The documented command is Protection → Encrypt → Change password; enter and confirm the replacement. If you test this optional step, save and close the practice file, then verify the replacement opens that exact copy. Keep the baseline unchanged throughout.

For a separate removal test, open the protected practice file with its current password and save a new disposable copy as password-removed.xlsx. Confirm that filename, then use Protection → Encrypt → Delete password. Save, close and reopen the removed-password copy. It should no longer request the file password, and its formula should still produce 42.

Do not use the removed-password copy as though it remained confidential. Removing protection from one copy is not evidence that an older protected copy, an exported file or a backup has changed. This guide does not attempt recovery or bypass of a password you do not know.

Diagnose mismatches before distributing anything

• A password is accepted but cells cannot be edited: inspect sheet protection or read-only access separately. Successfully opening the file does not promise unrestricted editing.
• The password is rejected: verify the exact file and case, then use the safely retained practice password. If it is lost, return to the untouched baseline rather than following an unverified recovery claim.
• No password prompt appears: check you did not reopen password-baseline.xlsx or the removed-password copy. Do not infer protection from the filename or a toolbar icon alone.
• Another application or export is required: test that exact receiving workflow separately on harmless data. This local XLSX exercise does not establish encryption behavior for every export format or editor.

No downloadable encrypted workbook or sample password is supplied. The expected prompts and save/reopen outcomes are checks for the reader’s installation, not observed results from this project.