Hiding Formulas

In some cases, you may not want others to see your formulas. For example, you may have a special formula you developed that performs a calculation proprietary to your company. You can use the Format Cells dialog box to hide the formulas contained in these cells.

To prevent one or more formulas from being viewed

1. Select the formula or formulas.

2. Right-click and choose Format Cells to show the Format Cells dialog box (or Press Ctrl+1). In the Format Cells dialog box, click the Protection tab.

3. Place a check mark in the Hidden check box, as shown in Figure 2-6.

   
   Figure 2-6: Use the Format Cells dialog box to change the Hidden and Locked status of a cell or range.

4. Use the Review Protect command to protect the worksheet. To prevent others from unprotecting the sheet, make sure you specify a password in the Protect Sheet dialog box.

By default, all cells are locked. Protecting a sheet prevents any locked cells from being changed. Therefore, you should unlock any cells that require user input before protecting your sheet.

Caution 

Be aware that it's very easy to crack the password for a worksheet. Therefore, this technique of hiding your formulas does not ensure that no one can view your formulas.