How to encrypt, password protect and lock files in Excel 2007?

Excel 2007 offers better file protection options. You can easily encrypt, password protect files and thereby lock files created using Microsoft office Excel 2007. 

How to password protect files in Excel 2007?

• Open the excel 2007 file that you intend to encrypt, password protect and lock
• Click on the office Orb on the top left
• Select Prepare >> Encrypt document 

• An Encrypt document dialog box pops up with an option for you to set password
• Enter a strong password and click Ok
• A confirm password dialog box pops up with an option for you to re-enter password and confirm it
• If you are done with your work on the excel 2007 file, save your excel file
• Another microsoft excel dialog box pops up with the message “This document is both encrypted and password protected. The office Open XML Formats available in the 2007 release provide stronger encryption.Do you want to increase the security of this document by converting to an Office open XML format ?”
• If you want more stronger security, click Yes else click No in the above dialog box
• close the excel 2007 file

That is all!!! When you try opening the encrypted and password protected excel 2007 document, you will be asked to enter the password. However,if your forget or loose password it cannot be recovered in a straight forward manner.Special softwares may be required to recover the password.Hence it is advisable to keep a list of passwords and their corresponding document names in a safe place.