Excel password cracker

Mr_BOOMBASTIC

Hi hoping someone here can help, I have a couple of excel docs done by a previous collegue at work and we despiratley need the info contained but he's password protected them and he's now gone and we cant get in touch with him. I know there is lots of software available on the net for cracking the passwords but which is the best and preferably free.


Thanks

isofa

I suspect you won't get any replies as discussing this topic is against the forum rules.

However if it's secured with a basic password, rather than advanced security 2003 and below, there are a multitude of tools which can help.

However if he's used advanced security from 2003 to 2007 then it'll be a lot harder.

John_Gray

isofa wrote: »

However if he's used advanced security from 2003 to 2007 then it'll be a lot harder.

That may be the understatement of the year! If it's not a simple 'dictionary' password, and it has to be brute-forced, then you may be talking of many weeks of programmed attempts, depending on how long the password was.

Gordon861

I've seen systems that use a downloaded xla file that you open before you load the main file and it will allow you to run a macro to remove the password from and excel file.

You can probably find it using Google and some searching but I don't have the URL for it, and not sure of it being a good idea to post a link in here to explain how to break an encrypted file.

renjones

Try this:

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VBA Samples
Microsoft Excel
Crack Sheet Protection Password

This routine provides a password to unprotect your worksheet. However, it may not give you the original password that was used.

Open the workbook that has the protected sheet in it. Hit Alt+F11 to view the Visual Basic Editor. Hit Insert-Module and paste this code into the right-hand code window:

Sub PasswordBreaker()
'Author unknown but submitted by brettdj of experts-exchange

Dim i As Integer, j As Integer, k As Integer
Dim l As Integer, m As Integer, n As Integer
Dim i1 As Integer, i2 As Integer, i3 As Integer
Dim i4 As Integer, i5 As Integer, i6 As Integer
On Error Resume Next
For i = 65 To 66: For j = 65 To 66: For k = 65 To 66
For l = 65 To 66: For m = 65 To 66: For i1 = 65 To 66
For i2 = 65 To 66: For i3 = 65 To 66: For i4 = 65 To 66
For i5 = 65 To 66: For i6 = 65 To 66: For n = 32 To 126


ActiveSheet.Unprotect Chr(i) & Chr(j) & Chr(k) & _
Chr(l) & Chr(m) & Chr(i1) & Chr(i2) & Chr(i3) & _
Chr(i4) & Chr(i5) & Chr(i6) & Chr(n)
If ActiveSheet.ProtectContents = False Then
MsgBox "One usable password is " & Chr(i) & Chr(j) & _
Chr(k) & Chr(l) & Chr(m) & Chr(i1) & Chr(i2) & _
Chr(i3) & Chr(i4) & Chr(i5) & Chr(i6) & Chr(n)
ActiveWorkbook.Sheets(1).Select
Range("a1").FormulaR1C1 = Chr(i) & Chr(j) & _
Chr(k) & Chr(l) & Chr(m) & Chr(i1) & Chr(i2) & _
Chr(i3) & Chr(i4) & Chr(i5) & Chr(i6) & Chr(n)
Exit Sub
End If
Next: Next: Next: Next: Next: Next
Next: Next: Next: Next: Next: Next


End Sub

Close the VB Editor window. Navigate to the worksheet you want to unprotect. Hit Tools-Macro-Macros and double-click PasswordBreaker in the list.

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For work documents, remind your colleagues that you can protect a document without using a password. That way it stops unintentional edits of formulas etc, but if you need to change this you can.

isofa

A simple protected sheet is very different to an encrypted protected workbook, which is what the OP asked about...