Ideas to lock Excel file

Option to Lock excel file

• Restrict All File access to computers, this is common in large enterprises
  • Block all USB ports for pendrives/hard disks
  • Block all outgoing traffic via the internet, especially emails
  • Add some kind of encryption for the hard drive, as anyone with basic computer knowledge can just remove the hard drive from the PC
  • This is also applicable to laptops provided by the company
• Use of shared network with limited permissions
  • You can use a local server or SharePoint
  • This won’t protect if users save the file to another location
• Using VBA for basic security
  • Add VBA code to prevent the "Save As" action on a specific file
  • Write basic VBA code to check the computer ID or something else to ensure the file is on a company computer
  • Downside: VBA security is not foolproof; anyone with good computer skills can remove the VBA code
• Use web-only options
  • Use the online version of Excel if it doesn’t contain any code. The online version has options to share without permission to download the file. Google Sheets is also a good alternative
  • If it’s really important, convert the calculation into a web application. Streamlit is a good option for this. It requires minimal code and is free to use
• Compile Excel to an EXE file
  • There are multiple tools to compile an Excel file to an EXE file, which converts all VBA code to C++ and adds additional security, such as generating a license key for a specific computer
  • Problem: This is a kind of hack, not an official solution, so there’s no guarantee that your Excel sheet will perform normally. Some software tools are hit or miss
  • Software examples: Done Ex, Excel Padlock, Unviewable