Protecting Specific Cells in Excel

This article details how to protect/lock cells in Excel that are populated when run in Report Designer.

Note: This was tested in Excel. This may not work in the web portal.

Method

To lock a specific cell, follow these steps:

1.  Edit the Report in Excel. Make sure it starts as an unprotected sheet.  
2. Select the cell you wish to lock in Design mode.
   • Right-click and select Format Cells.
   • Select the Protection tab and check Locked.
3. Select the cell you wish to unlock in Design mode.
   • Right-click and select Format Cells.
   • Select the Protection tab and uncheck Locked.
4. Go to the Solver Reporting ribbon tab in Excel and select Report Properties.
5. Under the Protection tab, type in a password. 
6. In the same window, select the Budgeting tab and check Protect non-input cells.
7. Finally, go back to Excel, go to the Review ribbon tab and select Protect Sheet.
8. In the pop-up, have only “Select unlocked cells” checked.
   
9. Run the report and only the unlocked cells should be typeable.