Think about spending hours making a Google Sheet to share together with your crew, solely to search out {that a} crew member by chance deleted an essential column, row, cell, or, even worse — a whole sheet.
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That may be irritating. Nonetheless, it is fully preventable should you lock cells in Google Sheets.
Because it seems, with just some clicks of a mouse, you possibly can lock cells and whole sheets in Google Sheets — that means, you and your crew can work on the identical sheet with out hindering the following particular person from finishing their assigned duties.
On this submit, we’ll go over the best way to lock and unlock cells in Google Sheets.
Desk of Contents
The Advantages of Locking Cells in Google Sheets
Google Sheets permits customers to lock cells from enhancing, which suggests you possibly can shield your Sheet from any potential accidents, together with enhancing and deletion.
You may as well shield essential information and calculations, so you possibly can relaxation straightforward figuring out the formulation in your Sheet are appropriate and correct.
The power to lock cells in Google Sheets comes with quite a lot of advantages.
Not solely are you able to lock cells from enhancing, however it’s also possible to management which crew members can edit your doc — proper right down to the very cells these crew members are allowed to govern.
That is extraordinarily useful if a number of crew members are engaged on the identical Sheet directly. You may as well copy permissions from different sheets, when you have locked cells in different Sheets.
Let’s check out the steps to lock cells in Google Sheets.
Methods to Lock Particular Cells in Google Sheets
Locking particular cells in Google Sheets is a straightforward activity. Right here’s the best way to do it:
1. Proper-click on the cell you wish to lock.
After opening a brand new Google Sheet (or a Sheet you’ve already been working in), right-click on the cell or cells you wish to lock.
2. Hover over “View extra cell actions.”
This feature is listed on the backside of the dropdown menu.
Relying on the place your cells are situated within the Sheet, you could must scroll down till you see it. Once you see it, hover over the “View extra cell actions” to open up one other menu.
3. Choose “Defend vary.”
The subsequent menu will provide you with a number of extra cell actions. Search for the motion labeled “Defend vary.” Select “Defend vary” to start assigning cells to a locked standing.
Alternatively, you possibly can carry out the identical activity by clicking on the Knowledge tab and selecting “Defend sheets and ranges.”
4. Select “Add a sheet or vary” from the facet panel.
After clicking “Defend vary” from the dropdown menu or “Defend sheets and ranges” from the Knowledge tab, you’ll discover the open facet panel on the fitting of your display. Click on on “Add a sheet or vary.”
5. Select which cells to lock.
Subsequent, determine which cells to lock from enhancing. If you happen to click on the cell you wish to lock, that cell’s info might be referenced within the vary part. If you might want to lock a variety of cells, enter the vary into the sector.
6. Choose “Set permissions.”
Choose “Set permissions” to decide on who can edit the chosen cells. If you happen to’re the one particular person allowed to edit the cell, be sure to select “solely you.”
You may as well copy permissions from different sheets, when you have locked cells in different Sheets.
7. Choose “Carried out.”
When you’re completed locking cells from enhancing, click on “Carried out” to save lots of your preferences. Now, these cells are locked from enhancing till you unlock them and alter the settings.
Methods to Lock Cells and Give Enhancing Permission to Choose Customers
If you happen to and your crew are working in a Google Sheet, take into account giving enhancing permissions to pick out customers. It will assist you to assign duties and higher handle your undertaking and preserve others from by chance deleting essential work.
To lock cells and provides enhancing permission to pick out customers, observe these steps.
1. Proper-click the chosen cells.
Select the cell or cells you want to prohibit. Then, right-click to open up the dropdown menu.
2. Hover “View extra cell actions.”
Scroll or look to the underside of the dropdown menu and hover over “View extra cell actions.” It will open one other menu in your display.
3. Choose “Defend vary.”
To alter a cell’s enhancing standing, select “Defend vary.” This motion will open a facet panel menu.
4. Click on “Add a sheet or vary” from the facet panel.
Within the facet panel, click on “Add a sheet or vary.” Clicking this button will can help you enter which cells or sheets to lock.
5. Select which cells to lock.
Decide which cells your crew member must carry out their assigned activity. Then, enter the vary of cells into the field.
6. Choose “Set permissions.”
When you’ve entered the specified cells within the field, you’ll must set enhancing restrictions. To limit entry to the vary of cells, click on “Set permissions.”
7. Select “Customized.”
From this display, you’ve the choice to determine who has permission to edit the vary of cells. So as to add a crew member or a number of crew members, click on “Customized.”
8. Assign editors to cells.
Now, you possibly can determine who wants enhancing entry to the vary of cells you’ve specified. Enter the e-mail addresses of your crew members to assign them as editors of the cells. It will give them enhancing entry to designated cells inside the sheet.
Be sure you click on “Carried out” to save lots of the vary enhancing permissions.
Methods to Lock an Total Sheet
There could also be occasions you’ll need to lock a whole sheet from enhancing. Fortunately, this can be a easy course of.
To lock a whole sheet, you possibly can right-click on any cell inside the doc to open the dropdown menu. You’ll take the identical steps to lock a whole sheet as you probably did with locking only one cell.
Right here’s the best way to do it:
1. Proper-click on any cell.
Proper-click on any cell in your Google Sheet to open a drop-down menu. To lock a whole sheet, it doesn’t matter which cell you employ to do that.
2. Hover over “View extra cell actions.”
Select the “View extra cell actions” choice on the backside of the dropdown menu. You do not want to click on. Simply hover over it to open one other menu.
3. Choose “Defend vary.”
Click on “Defend vary” to open the permissions facet panel. Alternatively, you possibly can attain the “Protected sheets and ranges” facet panel by clicking on the Knowledge tab and deciding on “Defend sheets and ranges.”
4. Select “Add a sheet or vary” from the facet panel.
Click on “Add a sheet or vary” to start locking a whole sheet.
5. Click on on “Sheet.”
Click on on the “Sheet” button to lock a whole sheet. When you’re within the Sheet tab, choose which Sheet you want to lock.
ou have the choice to exclude sure cells from being locked. If you happen to want sure cells open for enhancing, click on the field for “Besides sure cells” and specify the vary.
6. Choose “Set permissions.”
Earlier than you possibly can lock your Sheet, you might want to set enhancing permissions. Choose “Set permissions” to decide on who can edit the locked Sheet. In case you are the one particular person allowed to edit the sheet, be sure to select “Solely you.”
When you’ve decided who has enhancing permissions in your Sheet, both simply you or members of your crew, make sure you hit “Carried out” to save lots of the permissions. Now your Sheet is locked and can’t be edited with out permission.
Methods to Present a Warning however Enable Enhancing of Locked Cells
If you happen to’re engaged on a doc concurrently with crew members and also you don’t need your cells to be modified, you possibly can permit customers to obtain a warning earlier than accepting their edits.
To indicate a warning, observe these steps:
1. Proper-click on the cells you wish to lock.
In your Google Sheet, right-click on the cells you wish to lock. You possibly can set a warning for a whole Sheet by following this course of as effectively.
2. Hover over “View extra cell actions.”
Scroll to the underside of the menu and hover over “View extra cell actions.”
3. Choose “Defend vary.”
To set an enhancing warning on sure cells or your Sheet, click on “Defend vary” to assign cells or a Sheet to a warning standing.
4. Select “Add a sheet or vary” from the facet panel.
On the fitting of your display, you will notice an open facet panel menu. Click on “Add a sheet or vary.”
5. Select which cells or sheet to set an enhancing warning.
You possibly can set an enhancing warning for a variety of cells or a whole sheet. Within the facet panel, decide which cells or sheets want a warning and ensure the data referenced within the field matches your required cells or sheet.
6. Choose “Set permissions.”
After you’ve verified which cells or sheets ought to have an enhancing warning, click on “Set permissions” to go to the enhancing desire display.
7. Select “Present a warning when enhancing this vary.”
Choose “Present a warning when enhancing this vary,” then hit “Carried out” to save lots of your enhancing permissions.
If a consumer tries to make adjustments within the semi-locked cell or Sheet, they are going to obtain a warning message as a heads-up. Customers should both click on “Cancel” or “Okay” to make adjustments or revert to the unique doc.
Methods to Unlock Cells
Locking a cell or a Sheet is extraordinarily useful in sustaining the integrity of your information. However, there might be occasions when you’ll need to unlock a cell to replace or change the data inside it.
Now that you just perceive the best way to lock cells, let’s check out the best way to unlock them.
1. Proper-click on the cells you wish to unlock.
In your Google Sheet, right-click on the cell you might want to unlock. This motion opens a dropdown menu.
2. Hover over “View extra cell actions.”
Search for the “View extra cell actions” choice within the drop-down menu. This feature is situated on the backside of the dropdown menu. Once you discover it, hover your mouse over the motion.
3. Choose “Defend vary.”
Like locking a cell, you’ll nonetheless must click on on the “Defend vary” choice. It will open a facet panel menu the place you possibly can select to unlock the cell.
4. Click on on the locked cell.
Within the facet panel menu, you will notice an inventory of locked cells inside your Sheet. Click on on the cell or cell vary that you just want to unlock.
5. Click on the garbage can icon.
Subsequent, click on on the garbage can icon to the facet of the outline field.
6. Choose “Take away.”
A warning display will pop up asking if you wish to take away the protected vary. In case you are positive you wish to unlock the cell, click on the “Take away” button.
When you click on the button, your cell is free to be edited by anybody with enhancing permission for the doc.
Locking Cells in Google Sheets
And there you’ve it! Be sure you take a while to set enhancing preferences and assign sure cells or sheets to your crew.
When you’ve finished that, you and your crew can confidently work on the identical Google Sheet with out worrying somebody will by chance edit or delete essential info.
