If you have sensitive data you'd like to keep from prying eyes in a Microsoft Excel file, the easiest way to protect it is with Excel's built-in password tools.

There are several options available to you to protect your Excel file with a password. Remember that once you protect the Excel file, you cannot open it without entering the password.

Add a password and expiry date to an Excel sheet link If you use Microsoft's OneDrive cloud platform to save and share Excel files, you can password-protect and set an expiry date for a shared link.

In Word, Excel, or PowerPoint for Windows, open the file you want to protect with a password, then select File and Info. You should see a Protect option at the top of the next list: Click this ...