1. Manual ways to unlock cells in Excel and Google Sheets

Before we automate anything, you need the core mechanics.

A. Unlock all cells in an Excel worksheet

1. Open your workbook in Excel.
2. Right‑click the sheet tab you want to edit.
3. Click “Unprotect Sheet…”.
4. If the sheet has a password, enter it and click OK.
5. All previously locked cells on that sheet are now editable.

Official Microsoft guide on locking/unlocking specific areas: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/lock-or-unlock-specific-areas-of-a-protected-worksheet-75481b72-db8a-4267-8c43-042a5f2cd93a

B. Unlock only certain cells in Excel

Often you want formulas locked but input cells free.

1. First, unprotect the sheet (as above).
2. Press Ctrl+A to select the entire sheet.
3. Press Ctrl+1 to open Format Cells.
4. Go to the Protection tab and clear the “Locked” checkbox. Click OK. Now nothing is locked yet.
5. Select the cells or ranges you WANT to protect (for example, formula columns).
6. Press Ctrl+1 again, Protection tab, tick “Locked”, OK.
7. On the Review tab, click “Protect Sheet…”.
8. Choose a password (optional but recommended) and what users are allowed to do, then click OK.
9. Result: the ranges you marked as Locked are protected; everything else is editable.

C. Unlock specific ranges on a protected Excel sheet

When the sheet is protected but you want certain ranges editable with or without a password:

1. Unprotect the sheet.
2. Go to Review → “Allow Users to Edit Ranges”.
3. Click “New…”.
4. Give the range a name (optional), set the Refers to cells box (for example, =B2:B100), and optionally set a range password.
5. Click OK and confirm the password.
6. Back in the dialog, click “Protect Sheet…”, set a sheet password, and click OK.
7. Now: the sheet is protected, but users can edit that specific range (with or without the range password, depending on your setup).

Detailed walkthrough: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/lock-or-unlock-specific-areas-of-a-protected-worksheet-75481b72-db8a-4267-8c43-042a5f2cd93a

D. Unlock cells in Excel for Mac

On Mac the flow is similar:

1. On the Review tab, click “Unprotect Sheet” and enter the password.
2. Select the cells you want unlocked.
3. Press Command+1 → Protection tab → clear “Locked” → OK.
4. Re‑protect the sheet from Review → “Protect Sheet…”.

Mac-specific guide: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/lock-cells-to-protect-them-in-excel-for-mac-59bb04cf-1a79-4a69-9828-568c98bdb310

E. Unlock cells in Google Sheets

In Google Sheets, protections live at the cell or sheet level.

1. Open the sheet in Google Sheets.
2. Click Data → Protected sheets and ranges.
3. In the right sidebar, select the protected range or sheet you want to adjust.
4. To fully remove protection, click the trash bin icon.
5. To make only part of it editable, change the range reference, or on a protected sheet, use “Except certain cells” and define which cells remain editable.

Official Google guide: https://support.google.com/docs/answer/1218656

2. No‑code and low‑code automation methods

Once you know the basics, you can remove repetitive clicking with light automation.

A. Excel macros to toggle protection

If you routinely unlock, edit, then re‑lock the same sheets:

1. Enable the Developer tab (File → Options → Customize Ribbon → tick Developer).
2. Click Developer → “Record Macro…”.
3. Name it like “ToggleProtection”, store in This Workbook.
4. While recording, unprotect the sheet, select and change the Locked property on the ranges you need, then protect the sheet again with your desired options.
5. Stop recording.
   Next time, run the macro and Excel will replay all those steps. This is low‑code: you do not have to write VBA, just record.
   Macro quick start from Microsoft: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/quick-start-create-a-macro-741130ca-080d-49f5-9471-1e5fb3d581a8

B. Office Scripts / Power Automate (Excel on the web)

For teams on Microsoft 365:

1. In Excel for the web, use Automate → “Record Actions” to capture unprotecting, unlocking ranges, and reprotecting.
2. Save the script.
3. In Power Automate, create a flow that runs this Office Script on a file when it’s created in a specific OneDrive or SharePoint folder.
   Outcome: any new template dropped into that folder gets the same unlock/lock logic applied automatically.

C. Google Apps Script to standardize protections

If you manage many Google Sheets templates:

1. Open a Google Sheet and go to Extensions → Apps Script.
2. Use a simple script to clear protections, then add new protected ranges programmatically using the Protection service.
3. Attach the script to a custom menu so non‑technical teammates can run it from the sheet.
4. Optionally trigger it when the file is opened.
   This keeps templates consistent without hunting through the Protected sheets sidebar every time.

D. Workflow tools like Zapier or Make

While Zapier and Make cannot directly click “Unprotect sheet”, they can trigger scripts that do:

1. For Sheets, set up a Zap that fires when a new spreadsheet is created from a template in Google Drive.
2. The Zap calls a Google Apps Script Web App endpoint that runs your protection/unlock logic.
3. For Excel, a Power Automate flow can play the same role when new files are added to a OneDrive folder.

3. Scaling with AI agents like Simular

Manual and no‑code flows still assume someone keeps an eye on things. An AI computer agent like Simular Pro can sit above your tools and handle the messy, cross‑app work.

A. Agent that adjusts protections per request

Story: your sales ops lead gets daily requests like, “Can you unlock column F in this Excel quota sheet?”
With Simular:

1. You record or describe the workflow once: open the file (Excel or Sheets), find the right tab, unprotect, adjust Locked or protected ranges, save, and confirm.
2. The Simular agent can now repeat this on any similar file, triggered via a simple form or webhook.
   Pros: no macros to maintain, works across desktop Excel, Excel for the web, and Google Sheets. Great for non‑technical teams.
   Cons: requires initial setup and clear instructions; best for recurring patterns, not one‑off edge cases.

B. Agent to standardize protections across many files

Imagine migrating 200 client reporting workbooks to a new structure:

1. Point Simular at a folder of Excel and Sheets files.
2. For each file, the agent opens it, removes legacy protections, applies your new standard of locked formulas and unlocked inputs, and saves.
3. Simular’s transparent execution lets you inspect each step before running at full scale.
   Pros: massive time savings, consistent rules, auditability.
   Cons: you should test on a small batch first and keep backups.

C. Agent as a guardrail for template usage

You can even have Simular run nightly checks:

1. The agent opens key team spreadsheets.
2. If it detects unlocked formula ranges or missing sheet protection, it corrects them and logs a report.
3. Any anomalies are surfaced to an ops owner.
   Pros: continuous quality control without you babysitting spreadsheets.
   Cons: needs thoughtful configuration so it does not override intentional one‑off changes.

Blending these approaches gives you a ladder: start with manual skills, add light automation, then let an AI agent carry the repetitive protection work so you and your team can focus on analysis, not menus.

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