Imagine spending hours making a Google Sheet to share together with your team, only to seek out that a team member unintentionally deleted a very important column, row, cell, or, even worse — a complete sheet.
That will be frustrating. Nevertheless, it’s entirely preventable in the event you lock cells in Google Sheets.
Because it seems, with just a couple of clicks of a mouse, you’ll be able to lock cells and full sheets in Google Sheets — meaning, you and your team can work on the identical sheet without hindering the following person from completing their assigned tasks.
On this post, we’ll go over how you can lock and unlock cells in Google Sheets.
Table of Contents
The Advantages of Locking Cells in Google Sheets
Google Sheets allows users to lock cells from editing, which suggests you’ll be able to protect your Sheet from any potential accidents, including editing and deletion.
It’s also possible to protect essential data and calculations, so you’ll be able to rest easy knowing the formulas in your Sheet are correct and accurate.
The flexibility to lock cells in Google Sheets comes with quite a lot of advantages.
Not only are you able to lock cells from editing, but you may as well control which team members can edit your document — right right down to the very cells those team members are allowed to control.
This is amazingly helpful if multiple team members are working on the identical Sheet directly. It’s also possible to copy permissions from other sheets, if you may have locked cells in other Sheets.
Let’s take a have a look at the steps to lock cells in Google Sheets.
Methods to Lock Specific Cells in Google Sheets
Locking specific cells in Google Sheets is an easy task. Here’s how you can do it:
1. Right-click on the cell you need to lock.
After opening a recent Google Sheet (or a Sheet you may have already been working in), right-click on the cell or cells you need to lock.
2. Hover over “View more cell actions.”
This feature is listed at the underside of the dropdown menu.
Depending on where your cells are positioned within the Sheet, you might must scroll down until you see it. While you see it, hover over the “View more cell actions” to open up one other menu.
3. Select “Protect range.”
The following menu will provide you with several more cell actions. Search for the motion labeled “Protect range.” Select “Protect range” to start assigning cells to a locked status.
Alternatively, you’ll be able to perform the identical task by clicking on the Data tab and selecting “Protect sheets and ranges.”
4. Select “Add a sheet or range” from the side panel.
After clicking “Protect range” from the dropdown menu or “Protect sheets and ranges” from the Data tab, you’ll notice the open side panel on the precise of your screen. Click on “Add a sheet or range.”
5. Select which cells to lock.
Next, resolve which cells to lock from editing. When you click the cell you need to lock, that cell’s information shall be referenced within the range section. If that you must lock a variety of cells, enter the range into the sector.
6. Select “Set permissions.”
Select “Set permissions” to decide on who can edit the chosen cells. When you’re the one person allowed to edit the cell, be certain that you select “only you.”
It’s also possible to copy permissions from other sheets, if you may have locked cells in other Sheets.
7. Select “Done.”
When you’re finished locking cells from editing, click “Done” to save lots of your preferences. Now, those cells are locked from editing until you unlock them and alter the settings.
Methods to Lock Cells and Give Editing Permission to Select Users
When you and your team are working in a Google Sheet, consider giving editing permissions to pick out users. This can aid you assign tasks and higher manage your project and keep others from unintentionally deleting essential work.
To lock cells and provides editing permission to pick out users, follow these steps.
1. Right-click the chosen cells.
Select the cell or cells you desire to to limit. Then, right-click to open up the dropdown menu.
2. Hover “View more cell actions.”
Scroll or look to the underside of the dropdown menu and hover over “View more cell actions.” This can open one other menu in your screen.
3. Select “Protect range.”
To vary a cell’s editing status, select “Protect range.” This motion will open a side panel menu.
4. Click “Add a sheet or range” from the side panel.
Within the side panel, click “Add a sheet or range.” Clicking this button will let you enter which cells or sheets to lock.
5. Select which cells to lock.
Determine which cells your team member must perform their assigned task. Then, enter the range of cells into the box.
6. Select “Set permissions.”
When you’ve entered the specified cells within the box, you’ll must set editing restrictions. To limit access to the range of cells, click “Set permissions.”
7. Select “Custom.”
From this screen, you may have the choice to determine who has permission to edit the range of cells. So as to add a team member or multiple team members, click “Custom.”
8. Assign editors to cells.
Now, you’ll be able to resolve who needs editing access to the range of cells you may have specified. Enter the e-mail addresses of your team members to assign them as editors of the cells. This can give them editing access to designated cells throughout the sheet.
Be sure you click “Done” to save lots of the range editing permissions.
Methods to Lock an Entire Sheet
There could also be times you have to to lock a complete sheet from editing. Thankfully, this is an easy process.
To lock a complete sheet, you’ll be able to right-click on any cell throughout the document to open the dropdown menu. You’ll take the identical steps to lock a complete sheet as you probably did with locking only one cell.
Here’s how you can do it:
1. Right-click on any cell.
Right-click on any cell in your Google Sheet to open a drop-down menu. To lock a complete sheet, it doesn’t matter which cell you utilize to do that.
2. Hover over “View more cell actions.”
Select the “View more cell actions” option at the underside of the dropdown menu. You don’t want to click. Just hover over it to open one other menu.
3. Select “Protect range.”
Click “Protect range” to open the permissions side panel. Alternatively, you’ll be able to reach the “Protected sheets and ranges” side panel by clicking on the Data tab and choosing “Protect sheets and ranges.”
4. Select “Add a sheet or range” from the side panel.
Click “Add a sheet or range” to start locking a complete sheet.
5. Click on “Sheet.”
Click on the “Sheet” button to lock a complete sheet. When you’re within the Sheet tab, select which Sheet you desire to to lock.
ou have the choice to exclude certain cells from being locked. When you need certain cells open for editing, click the box for “Except certain cells” and specify the range.
6. Select “Set permissions.”
Before you’ll be able to lock your Sheet, that you must set editing permissions. Select “Set permissions” to decide on who can edit the locked Sheet. When you are the one person allowed to edit the sheet, be certain that you select “Only you.”
When you’ve determined who has editing permissions in your Sheet, either just you or members of your team, you should definitely hit “Done” to save lots of the permissions. Now your Sheet is locked and can’t be edited without permission.
Methods to Show a Warning but Allow Editing of Locked Cells
When you’re working on a document concurrently with team members and also you don’t want your cells to be modified, you’ll be able to allow users to receive a warning before accepting their edits.
To point out a warning, follow these steps:
1. Right-click on the cells you need to lock.
In your Google Sheet, right-click on the cells you need to lock. You’ll be able to set a warning for a complete Sheet by following this process as well.
2. Hover over “View more cell actions.”
Scroll to the underside of the menu and hover over “View more cell actions.”
3. Select “Protect range.”
To set an editing warning on certain cells or your Sheet, click “Protect range” to assign cells or a Sheet to a warning status.
4. Select “Add a sheet or range” from the side panel.
On the precise of your screen, you will note an open side panel menu. Click “Add a sheet or range.”
5. Select which cells or sheet to set an editing warning.
You’ll be able to set an editing warning for a variety of cells or a complete sheet. Within the side panel, determine which cells or sheets need a warning and be certain that the knowledge referenced within the box matches your required cells or sheet.
6. Select “Set permissions.”
After you may have verified which cells or sheets must have an editing warning, click “Set permissions” to go to the editing preference screen.
7. Select “Show a warning when editing this range.”
Select “Show a warning when editing this range,” then hit “Done” to save lots of your editing permissions.
If a user tries to make changes within the semi-locked cell or Sheet, they are going to receive a warning message as a heads-up. Users must either click “Cancel” or “Okay” to make changes or revert to the unique document.
Methods to Unlock Cells
Locking a cell or a Sheet is amazingly helpful in maintaining the integrity of your data. But, there shall be times when you have to to unlock a cell to update or change the knowledge inside it.
Now that you simply understand how you can lock cells, let’s take a have a look at how you can unlock them.
1. Right-click on the cells you need to unlock.
In your Google Sheet, right-click on the cell that you must unlock. This motion opens a dropdown menu.
2. Hover over “View more cell actions.”
Search for the “View more cell actions” option within the drop-down menu. This feature is positioned at the underside of the dropdown menu. While you find it, hover your mouse over the motion.
3. Select “Protect range.”
Like locking a cell, you’ll still must click on the “Protect range” option. This can open a side panel menu where you’ll be able to decide to unlock the cell.
4. Click on the locked cell.
Within the side panel menu, you will note an inventory of locked cells inside your Sheet. Click on the cell or cell range that you simply want to unlock.
5. Click the garbage can icon.
Next, click on the garbage can icon to the side of the outline box.
6. Select “Remove.”
A warning screen will pop up asking if you need to remove the protected range. When you are sure you need to unlock the cell, click the “Remove” button.
When you click the button, your cell is free to be edited by anyone with editing permission for the document.
Locking Cells in Google Sheets
And there you may have it! Be sure you take a while to set editing preferences and assign certain cells or sheets to your team.
When you’ve done that, you and your team can confidently work on the identical Google Sheet without worrying someone will unintentionally edit or delete essential information.
