How to Lock Cells in Google Sheets

Imagine spending hours creating a Google Sheet to stock pinch your team, only to find that a squad personnel accidentally deleted an important column, row, cell, or, moreover worse — an full sheet.

That tin beryllium frustrating. However, it's wholly preventable if you fastener cells successful Google Sheets.

As it turns out, pinch conscionable a fewer clicks of a mouse, you tin fastener cells and full sheets successful Google Sheets — meaning, you and your squad tin activity connected nan aforesaid expanse without hindering nan adjacent personification from completing their assigned tasks.

In this post, we’ll spell complete really to fastener and unlock cells successful Google Sheets.

Table of Contents

• The Benefits of Locking Cells successful Google Sheets
• How to Lock Specific Cells successful Google Sheets
• How to Lock Cells and Give Editing Permissions to Select Users
• How to Lock an Entire Sheet
• How to Show a Warning but Allow Editing of a Locked Cell
• How to Unlock Cells

The Benefits of Locking Cells successful Google Sheets

Google Sheets allows users to fastener cells from editing, which intends you tin protect your Sheet from immoderate imaginable accidents, including editing and deletion.

You tin besides protect important information and calculations, truthful you tin remainder easy knowing nan formulas successful your Sheet are correct and accurate.

The expertise to fastener cells successful Google Sheets comes pinch a assortment of benefits.

Not only tin you fastener cells from editing, but you tin besides power which squad members tin edit your archive — correct down to nan very cells those squad members are allowed to manipulate.

This is highly adjuvant if aggregate squad members are moving connected nan aforesaid Sheet astatine once. You tin besides transcript permissions from different sheets, if you person locked cells successful different Sheets.

Let’s return a look astatine nan steps to fastener cells successful Google Sheets.

How to Lock Specific Cells successful Google Sheets

Locking circumstantial cells successful Google Sheets is simply a elemental task. Here’s really to do it:

1. Right-click connected nan compartment you want to lock.

After opening a caller Google Sheet (or a Sheet you person already been moving in), right-click connected nan compartment aliases cells you want to lock.

2. Hover complete “View much compartment actions.”

This action is listed astatine nan bottommost of nan dropdown menu.

Depending connected wherever your cells are located successful nan Sheet, you whitethorn request to scroll down until you spot it. When you spot it, hover complete nan “View much compartment actions” to unfastened up different menu.

3. Select “Protect range.”

The adjacent paper will springiness you respective much compartment actions. Look for nan action branded “Protect range.” Choose “Protect range” to statesman assigning cells to a locked status.

Alternatively, you tin execute nan aforesaid task by clicking connected nan Data tab and choosing “Protect sheets and ranges.”

4. Choose “Add a expanse aliases range” from nan broadside panel.

After clicking “Protect range” from nan dropdown paper aliases “Protect sheets and ranges” from nan Data tab, you will announcement nan unfastened broadside sheet connected nan correct of your screen. Click connected “Add a expanse aliases range.”

5. Choose which cells to lock.

Next, determine which cells to fastener from editing. If you click nan compartment you want to lock, that cell’s accusation will beryllium referenced successful nan scope section. If you request to fastener a scope of cells, participate nan scope into nan field.

6. Select “Set permissions.”

Select “Set permissions” to take who tin edit nan selected cells. If you’re nan only personification allowed to edit nan cell, make judge you take “only you.”

You tin besides transcript permissions from different sheets, if you person locked cells successful different Sheets.

7. Select “Done.”

Once you’re vanished locking cells from editing, click “Done” to prevention your preferences. Now, those cells are locked from editing until you unlock them and alteration nan settings.

How to Lock Cells and Give Editing Permission to Select Users

If you and your squad are moving successful a Google Sheet, see giving editing permissions to prime users. This will thief you delegate tasks and amended negociate your task and support others from accidentally deleting important work.

To fastener cells and springiness editing support to prime users, travel these steps.

1. Right-click nan selected cells.

Choose nan compartment aliases cells you would for illustration to restrict. Then, right-click to unfastened up nan dropdown menu.

2. Hover “View much compartment actions.”

Scroll aliases look to nan bottommost of nan dropdown paper and hover complete “View much compartment actions.” This will unfastened different paper connected your screen.

3. Select “Protect range.”

To alteration a cell’s editing status, take “Protect range.” This action will unfastened a broadside sheet menu.

4. Click “Add a expanse aliases range” from nan broadside panel.

In nan broadside panel, click “Add a expanse aliases range.” Clicking this fastener will let you to participate which cells aliases sheets to lock.

5. Choose which cells to lock.

Determine which cells your squad personnel needs to execute their assigned task. Then, participate nan scope of cells into nan box.

6. Select “Set permissions.”

Once you’ve entered nan desired cells successful nan box, you’ll request to group editing restrictions. To restrict entree to nan scope of cells, click “Set permissions.”

7. Choose “Custom.”

From this screen, you person nan action to determine who has support to edit nan scope of cells. To adhd a squad personnel aliases aggregate squad members, click “Custom.”

8. Assign editors to cells.

Now, you tin determine who needs editing entree to nan scope of cells you person specified. Enter nan email addresses of your squad members to delegate them arsenic editors of nan cells. This will springiness them editing entree to designated cells wrong nan sheet.

Be judge to click “Done” to prevention nan scope editing permissions.

How to Lock an Entire Sheet

There whitethorn beryllium times you will request to fastener an full expanse from editing. Thankfully, this is simply a elemental process.

To fastener an full sheet, you tin right-click connected immoderate compartment wrong nan archive to unfastened nan dropdown menu. You’ll return nan aforesaid steps to fastener an full expanse arsenic you did pinch locking conscionable 1 cell.

Here’s really to do it:

1. Right-click connected immoderate cell.

Right-click connected immoderate compartment successful your Google Sheet to unfastened a drop-down menu. To fastener an full sheet, it does not matter which compartment you usage to do this.

2. Hover complete “View much compartment actions.”

Choose nan “View much compartment actions” action astatine nan bottommost of nan dropdown menu. You do not request to click. Just hover complete it to unfastened different menu.

3. Select “Protect range.”

Click “Protect range” to unfastened nan permissions broadside panel. Alternatively, you tin scope nan “Protected sheets and ranges” broadside sheet by clicking connected nan Data tab and selecting “Protect sheets and ranges.”

4. Choose “Add a expanse aliases range” from nan broadside panel.

Click “Add a expanse aliases range” to statesman locking an full sheet.

5. Click connected “Sheet.”

Click connected nan “Sheet” fastener to fastener an full sheet. Once you're successful nan Sheet tab, prime which Sheet you would for illustration to lock.

ou person nan action to exclude definite cells from being locked. If you request definite cells unfastened for editing, click nan container for “Except definite cells” and specify nan range.

6. Select “Set permissions.”

Before you tin fastener your Sheet, you request to group editing permissions. Select “Set permissions” to take who tin edit nan locked Sheet. If you are nan only personification allowed to edit nan sheet, make judge you take “Only you.”

Once you’ve wished who has editing permissions for your Sheet, either conscionable you aliases members of your team, beryllium judge to deed “Done” to prevention nan permissions. Now your Sheet is locked and cannot beryllium edited without permission.

How to Show a Warning but Allow Editing of Locked Cells

If you’re moving connected a archive simultaneously pinch squad members and you don’t want your cells to beryllium modified, you tin let users to person a informing earlier accepting their edits.

To show a warning, travel these steps:

1. Right-click connected nan cells you want to lock.

In your Google Sheet, right-click connected nan cells you want to lock. You tin group a informing for an full Sheet by pursuing this process arsenic well.

2. Hover complete “View much compartment actions.”

Scroll to nan bottommost of nan paper and hover complete “View much compartment actions.”

3. Select “Protect range.”

To group an editing informing connected definite cells aliases your Sheet, click “Protect range” to delegate cells aliases a Sheet to a informing status.

4. Choose “Add a expanse aliases range” from nan broadside panel.

On nan correct of your screen, you will spot an unfastened broadside sheet menu. Click “Add a expanse aliases range.”

5. Choose which cells aliases expanse to group an editing warning.

You tin group an editing informing for a scope of cells aliases an full sheet. In nan broadside panel, find which cells aliases sheets request a informing and make judge nan accusation referenced successful nan container matches your desired cells aliases sheet.

6. Select “Set permissions.”

After you person verified which cells aliases sheets should person an editing warning, click “Set permissions” to spell to nan editing penchant screen.

7. Choose “Show a informing erstwhile editing this range.”

Select “Show a informing erstwhile editing this range,” past deed “Done” to prevention your editing permissions.

If a personification tries to make changes successful nan semi-locked compartment aliases Sheet, they will person a informing connection arsenic a heads-up. Users must either click “Cancel” aliases “Ok” to make changes aliases revert to nan original document.

How to Unlock Cells

Locking a compartment aliases a Sheet is highly adjuvant successful maintaining nan integrity of your data. But, location will beryllium times erstwhile you will request to unlock a compartment to update aliases alteration nan accusation wrong it.

Now that you understand really to fastener cells, let’s return a look astatine really to unlock them.

1. Right-click connected nan cells you want to unlock.

In your Google Sheet, right-click connected nan compartment you request to unlock. This action opens a dropdown menu.

2. Hover complete “View much compartment actions.”

Look for nan “View much compartment actions” action successful nan drop-down menu. This action is located astatine nan bottommost of nan dropdown menu. When you find it, hover your rodent complete nan action.

3. Select “Protect range.”

Like locking a cell, you will still request to click connected nan “Protect range” option. This will unfastened a broadside sheet paper wherever you tin take to unlock nan cell.

4. Click connected nan locked cell.

In nan broadside sheet menu, you will spot a database of locked cells wrong your Sheet. Click connected nan compartment aliases compartment scope that you wish to unlock.

5. Click nan trashcan icon.

Next, click connected nan trashcan icon to nan broadside of nan explanation box.

6. Select “Remove.”

A informing surface will popular up asking if you want to region nan protected range. If you are judge you want to unlock nan cell, click nan “Remove” button.

Once you click nan button, your compartment is free to beryllium edited by anyone pinch editing support for nan document.

Locking Cells successful Google Sheets

And location you person it! Be judge to return immoderate clip to group editing preferences and delegate definite cells aliases sheets to your team.

Once you’ve done that, you and your squad tin confidently activity connected nan aforesaid Google Sheet without worrying personification will accidentally edit aliases delete important information.