Kevin
Microsoft Excel is one of the most widely-used computer programs. It can be used for everything from personal accounting to keeping track of business inventory. And since this program is often used in the business world to store sensitive company data, Excel files are often password-protected. Those passwords can sometimes be forgotten, but the best Excel password recovery software will help you get them back.
What Is Excel Password Recovery Software?
So what exactly do we mean when we talk about Excel password recovery software or Excel password remover software? Well, the aim of this kind of software is to help users recover passwords that they have lost or can’t remember for protected Excel files. The best Excel password recovery software makes it really simple to get into files that you’ve been locked out of, recovering missing passwords in a matter of minutes.
Let’s look at an example: perhaps you’ve been working on an Excel spreadsheet with colleagues at work, containing important company data, like a list of names and addresses of customers or financial records. This kind of information needs to be kept secure, so someone added a password to the Excel sheet to prevent other people from opening it. The only problem is that the password has been forgotten, or the person who created it cannot be reached, making the file unusable.
What can you do in this kind of situation? Well, usually, you’d have to either wait to contact the person who made the password to find out what it was, or try to remember it yourself, or simply type in every possible password that you can think of in order to try and access the file. Even after all that effort, you might find that the file is still locked.
An Excel password recovery tool can help you recover the password, using various techniques or “recovery attacks” like Brute-Force and Dictionary to get the password and access the file. Therefore, Excel password recovery apps can be really helpful for people who spend a lot of time working on protected Excel files and don’t want to worry about accidentally losing or forgetting passwords over time.
How We Tested and Picked the Best Excel Password Recovery Software in 2023
To find the very best Excel password recovery software to recommend to our readers, we tested and analyzed the effectiveness of many different programs. We only wanted to include the most effective and reliable tools on our list, so we looked at a range of key factors in order to pick the top Excel password recovery tools, including:
- Ease of Use – The best Excel password recovery apps should be easy to use, without any confusing or complicated layouts.
- Attack Modes – Excel password recovery software works by using different attack methods to crack passwords. Some tools have many more modes and options than others.
- Reliability – The best Excel password remover software needs to be reliable and effective at cracking passwords and gaining access to protected spreadsheets.
Top 10 Best Excel Password Recovery Software in 2023
1. PassFab for Excel
Best For: Users who want the most powerful Excel password recovery tool
Price: Free trial, Premium from $15.95 per month
When it comes to the best Excel password recovery software, PassFab for Excel stands out as one of the top options to consider. With a 100% success rate, this Excel password remover software can crack almost any password on your Excel files. It’s super fast and effective, making use of three different password attack types and the latest decryption technology to provide impeccable results. It works on almost any format of Excel file, going all the way back to Excel 97 and including the most recent version, too.
Pros:
- One of the most reliable and powerful Excel password recovery apps
- Works with any Excel file, even very old files
- Rapid results and a 100% success rate
Cons:
- Free trial has some features locked
2. iSunshare Excel Password Genius
Best For: Users who want to recover passwords as quickly as possible
Price: Free trial, Premium from $19.95
iSunshare Excel Password Genius is another great option for people who want the best Excel password recovery software. This highly professional and reliable tool is designed to recover lost and forgotten passwords for any .xls or .xlsx Excel file. It offers four different password recovery modes and features a smart recovery algorithm that is designed to choose the best attack method and get the most rapid results every time. This software also comes with great customer support and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Pros:
- Very fast at recovering lost passwords
- Works with any Excel file
- Four different attack modes for efficient password recovery
Cons:
- Free trial only works with passwords under three characters
3. Passper for Excel
Best For: Users who want an efficient Excel password recovery tool for Windows
Price: From $19.95 per month
Boasting a 100% success rate, Passper for Excel is another reliable, highly-rated Excel password recovery tool you can use to crack passwords on any Excel worksheet or workbook. It runs on Windows (from Vista through to Windows 10) and features four different attack modes in total, including Dictionary, Combination, Mask, and Brute Force, guaranteed to get you the best results and crack any password, regardless of length or complexity. This app is also super fast, so you won’t need to wait too long to access your files and start working once again.
Pros:
- Very rapid to help you get results and get on with your work in no time at all
- 100% success rate with four different attack modes
- Really easy to use – crack passwords in a single click
Cons:
- Free trial doesn’t have all the features of the full program
4. SysTools Excel Password Recovery
Best For: Advanced users who want to remove passwords from Excel files
Price: From $49
SysTools Excel Password Recovery is an Excel password remover tool that can crack passwords on any Excel file imaginable. It has no file size limitations, and it works with all Windows systems and all Excel files, even dating back to the earliest versions of the program. This particular Excel password recovery app features three different attack modes to find and remove passwords from your Excel files and is very reliable overall, even when dealing with the most complicated and confusing passwords in different languages or codes. On the downside, the interface may seem a little outdated or confusing to beginner users.
Pros:
- One of the most reliable password removers
- Even works with very old Excel files
- Works with multilingual and complicated coded passwords
Cons:
- Slightly more expensive than other programs
5. Excel Password Recovery Master
Best for: Beginners who want 1-click password recovery
Price: From $29.95
Excel Password Recovery Master is a very reliable Excel password remover tool that can help you access spreadsheets that are locked or difficult to access due to password problems. You can use this tool with any Excel document from Excel 97 right up to the latest version. It’s fast, efficient, and simple, too, with a 1-click password decryption system, so even if you’re a total beginner and have never used any Excel password recovery software before, you shouldn’t have any issues getting to grips with this program and making the most of it to unlock your password-locked spreadsheets.
Pros:
- One of the easiest password recovery tools to use
- Works on almost all Excel files
- Very fast and efficient
Cons:
- Can sometimes struggle with ancient Excel files
6. Accent Excel Password Recovery
Best For: Windows users looking for a dependable solution
Price: From $13.99 per month
Accent EXCEL Password Recovery is another Excel password recovery app that can help users who are struggling due to locked Excel files and forgotten passwords. It can be used to find and identify lost or missing passwords in a matter of minutes, using three different attacks – Brute Force, Mask, and Dictionary. You can rely on Account EXCEL to get the job done, even with tricky passwords or passwords in different languages or codes. The downside with this app is that it isn’t always as reliable when working with older files.
Pros:
- A rapid and reliable program that gets results
- Three different attack modes for maximum efficiency
- Runs very effectively, even with foreign or coded passwords
Cons:
- Doesn’t always work with older Excel files
7. Passware Excel Key
Best For: Users who want a beginner-friendly Excel password remover
Price: From $39
Passware Excel Key is a simple and affordable password recovery app for Excel files. It has a sleek and clean user interface, ideal for beginner users, and it features a free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can test it out for a while and get a full refund if you’re not satisfied. It supports all versions of Microsoft Excel from 2019 to 4.0 and works with all different types of spreadsheet files like .xls, .xlsm, .xlsx, and .xlsb. It features 20 built-in dictionaries, too, to work with passwords in different languages and can instantly remove restrictions that are keeping you out of your Excel files.
Pros:
- Very simple to use for beginners
- Clean and modern user interface
- Works very well with passwords in different languages
Cons:
- Customer support can sometimes be slow to respond
8. eSoftTools Excel Password Recovery
Best For: Users who want an affordable Excel password remover tool
Price: Free trial, Premium from $19
eSoftTools Excel Password Recovery is a safe and simple Excel password recovery app that you can use to recover lost Excel sheet passwords and unlock files in no time at all. It works with all of the common Excel file extensions, including .xla, .xlam, .xls, .xlsm, .xlsx, .xlsb, .xltm, and it runs flawlessly with files from various versions of Excel dating back to 2003. It also has a free trial for you to test it out and gives you the option of entering a hint if you have an idea about what the password might be to make the recovery process even faster.
Pros:
- One of the most affordable options with a one-off payment, no monthly fees
- Works with almost any kind of Excel file
- A variety of attack methods for guaranteed success
Cons:
- Doesn’t always work with very old Excel files
9. Password-Find
Best For: Users who want an online password remover
Price: From $9.99
Most of the password removers on this list have to be downloaded and installed, but Password-FInd has the advantage of being able to run online, in your internet browser, which makes it one of the most versatile options around. A great choice for people on different devices, Password-Find also has the advantage of being a full Windows Office password remover tool, so you can also use it to crack the passwords on your Microsoft Word and Microsoft PowerPoint files, in addition to your Excel spreadsheets. It can’t guarantee 100% success on .xlsx files from 2007 to 2019, but for other kinds of Excel files, it works every time without fail.
Pros:
- Runs on any device or platform
- Works with Word and PowerPoint too
- Impressive success rate
Cons:
- Doesn’t always work with .xlsx files
10. Dr.Excel
Best For: Users who want a straightforward recovery tool for Mac and PC
Price: Free trial, Premium from $29.95
Dr.Excel is another popular password recovery tool designed to be as easy to use as possible. Appealing to beginners and advanced users alike, this Excel password remover software can quickly recover lost passwords and remove password protections from files without damaging them in any way. It offers three different attack types, making use of state-of-the-art decryption technology to offer a strong success rate and proven results. It also features CPU and GPU acceleration, helping it work as quickly as possible to unlock your files and give you access to your data without delays or inconvenience.
Pros:
- Rapid and effective
- Won’t damage your files in any way
- GPU acceleration for super fast password recovery
Cons:
- Business license is quite expensive
FAQs
How do I find my Excel password?
It depends on how you choose to store and remember passwords. Some people note down passwords in notebooks or password manager apps, but if you have forgotten or lost your password and have no way to find it, you’ll need to use an Excel password recovery app.
How can I open a password-protected Excel file?
To open a password-protected Excel file, you have to know the password. Upon opening the file, Excel will provide you with a box and ask you to enter the password. If you can’t remember it, a password recovery software can help you crack the password and access your data.
Why should I use passwords in Excel?
Password protection can be useful for protecting sensitive information, such as business documents or your finance records. However, it’s important to ensure that you use strong passwords and remember them.
How do I remove password protection from Excel?
To remove password protection from a file via Excel, open it up, press File, Info, Protect Workbook, and Encrypt with Password. Delete all of the contents of the password box, click OK, and then save your file.
Conclusion
It can be frustrating when you forget an Excel password and can’t get into your most important spreadsheet files. But with the help of Excel password remover software, the whole process becomes much easier. We hope that this guide has shown you the benefits of Excel password recovery and helped you find the best Excel password recovery tool for your needs.
