Remove Excel Password Protection – Unlock Open & Modify Passwords Instantly

The Unprotect Spreadsheet API removes open‑ and modify‑password protection from Excel files in a single call. It is ideal for data pipelines, document‑management systems, and migration workflows.

Unprotect Spreadsheet API

Web API

PUT https://api.aspose.cloud/v4.0/cells/unprotection/spreadsheet

Request Parameters

Parameter Name Type Location Description
Spreadsheet File FormData The Excel file to be unprotected.
password String Query The password that protects the file for opening.
modifyPassword String Query The password required to modify the file (optional if only an open password is set).
outPath String Query (Optional) Folder path where the unprotected workbook will be saved.
outStorageName String Query (Optional) Name of the storage where the output file will be written.
region String Query (Optional) Spreadsheet region settings.

Response

[
  {
    "Name": "ResponseFile",
    "DataType": {
      "Identifier": "File",
      "Reference": "Stream",
      "Name": "file"
    }
  }
]

Error Codes

  • 400 Bad Request – The request URI or parameters are invalid.
  • 401 Unauthorized – Access token is missing, expired, or invalid.
  • 404 Not Found – The specified spreadsheet file cannot be accessed.
  • 500 Internal Server Error – An unexpected error occurred while processing the file.

When should you use the Unprotect Spreadsheet API?

  • Restore Access to Locked Workbooks – Quickly remove forgotten open or modify passwords without manual intervention.
  • Automate Bulk Unlocking – Process large numbers of files in data‑migration or archival projects.
  • Integrate with Existing Workflows – Combine with storage or conversion APIs to create end‑to‑end pipelines (e.g., upload → unprotect → convert to PDF).
  • Maintain Data Security – The operation occurs on the server side, keeping the original files secure while the unprotected version is stored in your cloud storage.

How to use the Unprotect Spreadsheet API with SDKs

OpenAPI Specification

The OpenAPI Specification defines the endpoint, parameters, and response format for direct REST calls.

Use Aspose.Cells Cloud SDKs

Using an SDK simplifies the call by handling authentication, request construction, and response parsing. The SDKs are available for many languages and include ready‑made methods for unprotecting spreadsheets.

The following code examples illustrate how to call the Unprotect Spreadsheet API using various SDKs: