Opening a Workbook as Read-Only

There may be times when you want to open a workbook as read-only. This means you will not be able to save any changes to the workbook you are loading. You can use the Save As option from the File menu in order to save the workbook using a different filename, however. Opening a workbook as read-only is self-insurance so you don't inadvertently mess up your file. To open a workbook as read-only, follow these steps if you are using Excel 97:

1. Select Open from the File menu, or click on the Open tool on the toolbar. You will see the Open dialog box.
2. Locate the workbook you want to open and then click once on the filename.
3. Click on the Commands and Settings button. (It is the right-most button on the toolbar in the Open dialog box.) This displays a Context menu.
4. Choose Open Read Only from the Context menu.

If you are using a later version of Excel, follow these steps:

1. Select Open from the File menu, or click on the Open tool on the toolbar. You will see the Open dialog box.
2. Locate the workbook you want to open and then click once on the filename.
3. Click the down-arrow at the right side of the Open button. Excel displays a list of different ways you can open the workbook.
4. Choose Open Read-Only from the menu.