How to Lock a Row in Google Spreadsheet
Google Spreadsheet How to Lock a Row, Locking cells and rows in Google Sheets helps you control the data and prevent mistakes.[1]It also helps you keep tabs on headers and rows when working with a large data set.
To lock a cell, right-click your mouse on the cell or range you want to protect and select Protect sheet. Then, in the Range editing permissions pop up window, set the Restrict who can edit this option to Only you.
Lock Cells And Give Edit Permission to Selected
You can lock a row in Google Sheets so that users can only view or edit data in the cell that is protected.[2] This is useful when you need to protect certain aspects of your spreadsheet, such as a formula that has important information in it.
To lock a column or row, select the data tab and then click on the Protected sheets & ranges option from the sidebar. From here, enter a description for the column or row and set permissions if needed.
Next, decide which users you want to give permission to make changes in the cell you’re protecting. You can either pick “Only you” from the drop-down menu or select “Custom.” Once you’ve selected who you want to grant permission to, click Done.[3]
If you’re concerned about other users editing data in the locked cell, you can also leave a warning message for them when they attempt to edit it. In the “Range editing permissions” window, set this option to “Show a warning when editing this range.” This will warn any other users who try to edit the cell that they have to do so in the correct way or else it won’t work.
You can also protect a single cell, such as an address or phone number, in a spreadsheet. This will help prevent other people from changing the value of that cell or deleting it entirely.[4]
This can be especially helpful when using a spreadsheet for a networking event where you have different members who may be sharing data with each other. A locking feature will ensure that no one can change or delete the cell’s value, but it will also allow all of the members to share their information with each other.
Another practical function is freezing a row or column, which will lock the cell as you scroll up and down the sheet. This is particularly useful for large spreadsheets and can save you a lot of time by eliminating the need to constantly scroll up and down your sheet to find particular values.[5]
Protect Entire Sheets in Google Sheets
Google spreadsheets are great for sharing data with multiple people, but anyone with editing privileges can accidentally delete or change important information. You can avoid that problem by locking rows and columns on your sheet.
To lock a row in Google Sheets, click the cell you want to protect and then select Range edition permissions from the sidebar. A range is automatically set for you, but you can customize it if you want.[6]
Once you set up a range, it will be locked until you unprotect it. This will ensure that only you, the owner, or other people with edit permissions can edit this range.
You can also choose to show a warning when someone makes an edit to this range, which will block them from editing the sheet without letting you know they have done so. This will also prevent them from deleting or removing your data.
The only downside to this feature is that anyone can still edit your data in other areas of the spreadsheet. This can be a huge inconvenience if you have a large number of cells that need to be edited.[7]
If you only have a few important cells that need to be protected, you can easily lock them by using the Protect sheet/workbook option. This will keep the rest of the spreadsheet open for other people to edit, but will keep them from changing any other critical data in your sheet.
When you protect a sheet, it can also be password-protected. This means that other people can only view and edit the sheet if they have the password you’ve chosen.
To remove the protection, you can either click Unprotect sheet / workbook on the Review tab in the spreadsheet menu or use the recycle bin icon to remove the protection from the sheet. When you remove the protection, a pop-up warning will ask if you are sure that you wish to do so.[8]
This is a quick way to secure data that you want other people to not be able to change. You can also use this method if you want to protect sensitive information in a spreadsheet that you may not have the time to update as often.
How to Lock Cell in Google Sheets Mobile App
A locked cell is a useful way to protect sensitive data or formulas in an Excel file. It is especially helpful for collaborative work where an Excel sheet is shared among multiple users.[9]
This helps to prevent unwanted changes to data or formulas and is beneficial in a wide variety of use cases, from budget spreadsheets containing sensitive financial information to collaborative projects where data is shared between multiple team members.
You can lock a specific cell, or even the entire sheet, using the Protect Sheet feature in Google Sheets.[10] It’s a simple process that allows you to decide who can edit the sheet.
First, you must select the cells or ranges of cells that you want to keep locked. You can do this by either using the sheet tabs or by selecting the set permissions option in the Protected sheets and ranges side pane.
Next, you must enter a password for the range that you want to lock and confirm it. Once you have entered a password, the range will be protected and only those with the right editing permissions will be able to access it.
After you have set a password, you must now click the Protect Sheet option to lock your file. This will ensure that any person who tries to modify the protected cell ranges will be warned.[11]
You may also choose to keep specific cells unlocked within the protected sheet by checking the Except certain cells box and then entering a password in the Password field. Once you have entered a password, only people who have the right editing permissions can modify that range of cells.
Alternatively, you can protect an entire sheet by clicking the Protect Sheet option in the side pane and choosing a description for your sheet. After you have selected the protection type, you can click OK to complete the protection process.[12]
You can also freeze rows and columns in an Excel spreadsheet to prevent anyone from changing them. This is particularly useful for sales reports where the top row needs to be kept separate from the rest of the spreadsheet.
Why Lock Cells in Google Sheets
When you lock cells in Google Sheets, it will prevent anyone from changing or deleting data. This is important for keeping your data up-to-date and accurate.
You can also choose to freeze entire columns or rows in your spreadsheet. This can be useful if you want to save space or prevent users from accidentally making changes that could corrupt your data.[13]
If you want to freeze all the cells in your spreadsheet, follow these steps:
First, right-click the sheet tab you want to protect and click Protect sheet. Then, in the Protected sheets and ranges side pane, click the Cells tab and enter a description. Select the cells you want to protect and set permissions for them as needed.
To keep some of the cells unlocked while your whole sheet is protected, check the Except certain cells box and specify which ones you want to remain editable. Then, select Only you below the Restrict who can edit this range option in the Range editing permissions pop up window.
If someone with the right to edit your sheet tries to change a locked cell, they will see a warning message instead of being prevented from changing it.[14] This can be helpful to remind users to be careful when changing data in a locked cell.
In addition, you can also use the Range editing permissions pop up window to give specific people edit access to your sheet. This can be helpful if you have other members of your team who need to work on your spreadsheet.
For example, if you have a spreadsheet that contains your employee information, you might want to give other employees the ability to edit it. To do this, check the Custom box in Step 6, and then specify their email address.[15]
Once you have the people you want to have editing permissions to your sheet, you can go back and revoke that protection. You can also delete the cell range you have protected by clicking Remove in the side pane.
One thing to keep in mind is that if you have a protected range, you will lose the version history of that range. This can be particularly important if you have made critical changes to the range in the past.
Lock Specific Cells In Google Sheets
If you are working with multiple people on a Google Sheets document, you may want to lock specific cells in order to prevent them from being edited. This is especially useful for formulas and functions that you don’t want others to change.
The process of locking a cell or range in Google Sheets is relatively easy, and it only takes a few minutes to get set up. The first step is to highlight the cells you want to lock, either individually or in a row or column.[16]
Once you have your cells highlighted, click Data > Protect sheets and ranges to open a side pane that will allow you to edit the permissions for these cells or the entire sheet. Here, you can choose whether to show a warning or to give other users editing permissions for the locked cells.
You can also select the Except certain cells box and specify which cell or range you wish to remain unlocked, if you don’t want all of the cells in your locked sheet to be unlocked. You can even keep all of the cells in the sheet locked and select Only you below the Restrict who can edit this range option in the Range editing permissions pop up window to restrict the ability for other people to modify those locked cells.
After you’ve made your selection, click Set permissions to finish the process. If you’d like to add more people who can modify these locked cells, select Add editors from the drop-down list and enter their email address.
Another important thing to remember when attempting to protect cell content in Google Sheets is that these permission settings are only valid when the sheet you’re editing is currently open. This means that if someone else has access to the sheet and makes a change to your locked cells, they’ll need to refresh their page to see the changes.
Fortunately, there’s an easy way to revoke these permissions and remove the name or email address of those who were allowed to modify the cell range you selected. To do so, just return to the Protected sheets and ranges side pane and click on your selected locked cells or sheet.
