Excel Password is a handy application that allows you to recover lost or forgotten passwords for your MS Excel files.
Since recovering Excel passwords requires very little interaction on the user's part, the program's interface is very simple and intuitive. Basically, this interface looks like a rudimentary Web browser whose "home page" offers several links to click on. One of these links leads you to a page with interesting information about password recovery. Another link allows you to open the program's help system, while the third link opens LastBit's website using your default web browser.
But, of course, the most important link is "Open". When you click on it, the program shows a new page with a brief explanation about the password recovery process. This page includes an additional link that – finally – allows you to choose the Excel file whose password you want to recover. This password recovery tool claims that it uses a state-of-the-art algorithm capable of recovering any password within a minute, regardless of its length. However, this technology does not work for MS Excel 2007-2010 files, for which only the traditional password recovery methods are available.
Finally, when you select your target MS Excel file, a wizard-like window opens, allowing you to select the recovery method you want to use. For Excel 2007-2010 files, the advisable method is Dictionary Search, which allows you to use either a built-in medium-sized dictionary or a custom one of your choice. The included dictionary covers 16 popular languages. Finally, it is worth mentioning that the password recovery process may take a very long time to finish, but it can be paused and resumed at any moment.
Pros
- Simple and intuitive user interface
- Capable of recovering MS Excel file passwords of any length, type, and complexity
- Includes an algorithm to recover any Excel 2000-2003 file password in seconds
Cons
- The amount of information included and the number of options in the password-recovery wizard might be confusing for an inexperienced user