Protect the Workbook Structure

You can protect your workbook structure with a password to prevent other users from adding, moving, deleting, renaming, hiding, or viewing hidden worksheets. Note that, protecting the workbook structure is different from protecting an Excel file or worksheet with a password. When you protect your workbook structure, the file is still accessible to everyone with access to it, but they can’t change the structure of the workbook.

To protect your workbook, carry out the following steps:

1. On the Review tab of the ribbon, in the Protect group, click Protect Workbook .
   
2. In the Protect Structure and Windows dialog box enter a password in the Password field.
3. Click OK .
4. In the Confirm Password dialog box, re-enter the password and click OK .

With the workbook protected, all the commands that involve changing the structure of the workbook, for example, add, delete, move, or rename worksheets will be disabled. To re-enable these commands, you’ll need to remove the password protection.

Unprotect the Workbook Structure

To unprotect your workbook’s structure, do the following:

1. On the Review tab of the ribbon, in the Protect group, click Protect Workbook .
2. In the Unprotect Workbook dialog box, enter the workbook’s password and click OK .