How to Unshare an Excel Workbook: A Step-by-Step Guide

Sharing Excel workbooks can be a fantastic way to collaborate with others, allowing multiple users to simultaneously edit and update the same file. However, there comes a time when you might need to restrict access and unshare the workbook, effectively returning it to a single-user environment. This could be due to project completion, security concerns, or simply a shift in workflow. Regardless of the reason, knowing how to properly unshare an Excel workbook is crucial for maintaining data integrity and control.

This comprehensive guide will walk you through the various methods of unsharing an Excel workbook, providing detailed step-by-step instructions and troubleshooting tips along the way. We’ll cover both the legacy shared workbook feature and the more modern collaboration methods using OneDrive and SharePoint, ensuring you have the knowledge to handle any scenario.

## Understanding Shared Workbooks and Collaboration Methods

Before diving into the unsharing process, it’s essential to understand the different ways Excel workbooks can be shared. This will help you identify the correct method for unsharing in your specific situation.

**1. Legacy Shared Workbook Feature (Older Excel Versions)**

This is the traditional method of sharing workbooks, available in older versions of Excel (typically Excel 2010 and earlier, but sometimes still accessible in newer versions with compatibility mode). It allows multiple users to directly access and edit the same file stored on a network drive. While convenient, this method has limitations, including potential conflicts when multiple users edit the same cells simultaneously, limited version control, and a higher risk of data corruption. Microsoft officially deprecated this feature, recommending newer collaboration methods.

**2. OneDrive and SharePoint Collaboration (Modern Excel Versions)**

Modern versions of Excel (Excel 2013 and later, including Microsoft 365) offer superior collaboration capabilities through OneDrive and SharePoint. When a workbook is stored on OneDrive or SharePoint, multiple users can access and edit the file simultaneously through the Excel desktop application or Excel Online. This method provides several advantages, including real-time co-authoring, automatic saving, version history, and improved conflict resolution.

**3. Excel Online Co-authoring (Browser-Based)**

Excel Online, accessed through a web browser, allows multiple users to work on the same workbook concurrently. This method is tightly integrated with OneDrive and SharePoint, providing a seamless co-authoring experience with automatic saving and version control.

## Unsharing a Legacy Shared Workbook

If you’re using the legacy shared workbook feature, follow these steps to unshare the workbook:

**Step 1: Open the Shared Workbook**

* Locate the shared workbook on your network drive or local computer.
* Open the workbook in Excel.

**Step 2: Access the ‘Share Workbook’ Dialog Box**

* Click on the ‘Review’ tab in the Excel ribbon.
* In the ‘Changes’ group, click on the ‘Share Workbook’ button. (If you don’t see the ‘Share Workbook’ button directly, look for a ‘Track Changes’ option; expanding it might reveal the ‘Share Workbook’ command.)

*If the ‘Share Workbook’ button is disabled or missing, the workbook might not be in shared mode. In this case, you can skip this section.*

**Step 3: Uncheck the ‘Allow changes by more than one user…’ Box**

* In the ‘Share Workbook’ dialog box, on the ‘Editing’ tab, you’ll see a checkbox labeled ‘Allow changes by more than one user at the same time. This also allows workbook merging.’
* Uncheck this box.

**Step 4: Confirm the Action**

* Excel will display a warning message stating that unsharing the workbook will remove it from shared use. Click ‘Yes’ to proceed.

**Step 5: Save the Workbook**

* Save the workbook. This action finalizes the unsharing process, and the workbook will no longer be accessible in shared mode.

**Important Considerations for Legacy Shared Workbooks:**

* **User Notification:** Inform all users who are currently accessing the shared workbook that you’re about to unshare it. This will prevent them from losing any unsaved work.
* **Data Conflicts:** If multiple users have been editing the workbook simultaneously, there might be data conflicts. Excel will usually try to resolve these conflicts automatically, but it’s essential to review the changes and ensure data integrity.
* **Alternative:** Consider migrating to OneDrive or SharePoint for a better co-authoring experience.

### Troubleshooting Legacy Shared Workbooks

* **’Share Workbook’ button is disabled:** This usually means the workbook is not currently in shared mode, or it might be protected. Ensure the workbook is not password-protected for editing and that it’s not already opened exclusively by another user.
* **Errors during unsharing:** Check for any add-ins that might be interfering with the process. Try disabling add-ins temporarily to see if that resolves the issue. Also, ensure that all users have closed the workbook before attempting to unshare it.
* **Workbook remains in shared mode:** Sometimes, Excel might not properly unshare the workbook. Try closing and reopening Excel, then repeating the unsharing process. As a last resort, you can create a copy of the workbook, which will automatically remove the shared status.

## Unsharing a Workbook on OneDrive or SharePoint

Unsharing a workbook stored on OneDrive or SharePoint is typically done by managing permissions on the file or folder. Here are the common methods:

**Method 1: Removing Direct Access Permissions**

This method involves removing individual users or groups who have direct access to the workbook.

**Step 1: Access the Sharing Settings**

* **From OneDrive:** Open OneDrive in your web browser. Navigate to the folder containing the workbook.
* **From SharePoint:** Open the SharePoint site containing the workbook. Navigate to the document library where the workbook is stored.
* Locate the workbook you want to unshare.
* Click on the ellipsis (three dots) next to the workbook’s name.
* Select ‘Manage access’ (or a similar option, depending on your OneDrive/SharePoint version). This will open a panel displaying the users and groups who have access to the workbook.

**Step 2: Remove Specific Users or Groups**

* In the ‘Manage access’ panel, you’ll see a list of users and groups with access to the workbook. For each user or group you want to remove, click the dropdown arrow next to their name and select ‘Stop sharing’ or ‘Remove access’.
* Confirm the removal when prompted.

**Step 3: Verify the Changes**

* After removing the users, verify that they no longer have access to the workbook. They should no longer be able to open or edit the file.

**Method 2: Changing Permission Levels**

Instead of completely removing access, you can change the permission level for specific users or groups. For example, you can change their access from ‘Edit’ to ‘View’ to allow them to view the workbook but not make any changes.

**Step 1: Access the Sharing Settings**

* Follow the same steps as in Method 1 to access the ‘Manage access’ panel for the workbook.

**Step 2: Change Permission Levels**

* In the ‘Manage access’ panel, locate the user or group whose permission level you want to change.
* Click the dropdown arrow next to their name. You’ll see options like ‘Can edit’ and ‘Can view’.
* Select the desired permission level. For example, choose ‘Can view’ to restrict them to viewing the workbook only.

**Step 3: Verify the Changes**

* Confirm that the user’s permission level has been changed. They should now have the access level you specified.

**Method 3: Breaking Inheritance (Advanced)**

In SharePoint, permissions can be inherited from the parent site or library. If you want to completely isolate the workbook’s permissions, you can break inheritance and assign unique permissions specifically to the workbook.

**Step 1: Access the Advanced Permissions Settings**

* Open the SharePoint site containing the workbook.
* Navigate to the document library where the workbook is stored.
* Locate the workbook.
* Click on the ellipsis (three dots) next to the workbook’s name.
* Select ‘Manage access’ (or a similar option).
* In the ‘Manage access’ panel, look for a link or button that says something like ‘Advanced settings’ or ‘Advanced permission settings’. Click on it. This will take you to the detailed permissions page for the workbook.

**Step 2: Break Inheritance**

* On the permissions page, you should see a button or link that says ‘Stop Inheriting Permissions’ or ‘Break Inheritance’. Click on it.
* SharePoint will display a warning message. Confirm that you want to break inheritance.

**Step 3: Assign Unique Permissions**

* After breaking inheritance, you can now assign unique permissions to the workbook. You can add users or groups and grant them specific permission levels (e.g., Read, Contribute, Edit, Full Control).
* Remove any inherited permissions that are no longer needed.

**Important Considerations for OneDrive and SharePoint:**

* **Sharing Links:** If you’ve created sharing links for the workbook (e.g., a link that allows anyone with the link to edit the file), you’ll need to disable or remove those links to prevent unauthorized access. You can typically manage sharing links in the ‘Manage access’ panel.
* **Folder Permissions:** Be aware of the permissions on the folder containing the workbook. If users have access to the folder, they might still be able to access the workbook indirectly, even if you’ve removed direct permissions on the file itself. Adjust folder permissions as needed.
* **Guest Access:** If your organization allows guest access to OneDrive and SharePoint, ensure that any guest users who have access to the workbook are properly managed or removed.
* **Syncing:** If users have synced the workbook to their local computers using the OneDrive sync client, changes they make offline will be synced back to OneDrive/SharePoint when they reconnect to the internet. This could potentially reintroduce unwanted changes. Consider informing users to unsync the workbook if necessary.

### Troubleshooting OneDrive and SharePoint Unsharing

* **Users still have access:** Double-check that you’ve removed all relevant permissions, including direct access, sharing links, and folder permissions. Also, ensure that the users are not accessing the workbook through a different account or group.
* **Permissions are not updating:** Sometimes, permission changes might take a few minutes to propagate through the system. Try clearing your browser cache and cookies or waiting a short period of time before verifying the changes.
* **Cannot break inheritance:** You might not have the necessary permissions to break inheritance. Ensure that you have sufficient privileges (e.g., site owner or library owner) to manage permissions on the workbook.
* **Sync issues:** If users are experiencing sync issues after you’ve changed permissions, advise them to try pausing and resuming the OneDrive sync client or unsyncing and re-syncing the library.

## Converting a Shared Workbook to a Non-Shared Workbook by Copying Data

This method is useful when you want to retain the data but completely remove the shared history and collaboration features, essentially creating a fresh, non-shared copy of the workbook.

**Step 1: Open the Shared Workbook**

* Open the shared workbook in Excel.

**Step 2: Create a New Workbook**

* Open a new, blank workbook in Excel (File > New > Blank Workbook).

**Step 3: Copy Data from the Shared Workbook to the New Workbook**

* **Option 1: Copy Entire Sheets:**
* Right-click on the sheet tab in the shared workbook that you want to copy.
* Select “Move or Copy…”
* In the “Move or Copy” dialog box:
* In the “To book:” dropdown, select the name of the new workbook you created.
* Check the “Create a copy” box.
* Choose where you want to place the copied sheet in the new workbook.
* Click “OK”.
* Repeat this process for each sheet you want to copy.
* **Option 2: Copy Cell Ranges:**
* Select the cell range you want to copy in the shared workbook.
* Press Ctrl+C (or Cmd+C on Mac) to copy the selected range.
* Switch to the new workbook.
* Select the cell where you want to paste the data.
* Press Ctrl+V (or Cmd+V on Mac) to paste the data.
* Repeat this process for each cell range you want to copy.

**Step 4: Save the New Workbook**

* Save the new workbook to your desired location.

**Step 5: Verify the New Workbook**

* Open the newly saved workbook.
* Verify that all the data has been copied correctly.
* This new workbook is now a non-shared, independent copy of the data. It will not retain any of the shared history or collaboration features of the original workbook.

**Important Considerations:**

* **Formatting:** When copying data, especially cell ranges, you might need to adjust the formatting in the new workbook to match the original. Use the Format Painter tool or manually adjust the formatting as needed.
* **Formulas:** Ensure that any formulas in the copied data are still working correctly in the new workbook. Check for broken references or incorrect calculations.
* **Charts and Objects:** If the shared workbook contains charts or other objects, you’ll need to copy them separately to the new workbook.
* **Macros:** Macros will not be copied automatically. You’ll need to manually recreate or import the macros into the new workbook if required.
* **Data Validation:** Data validation rules also need to be reconfigured in the new worksheet.

## General Best Practices for Sharing and Unsharing Excel Workbooks

* **Plan Ahead:** Before sharing a workbook, carefully consider who needs access and what level of access they require. This will help you avoid unnecessary sharing and potential security risks.
* **Use Strong Passwords:** If you’re using the legacy shared workbook feature, protect the workbook with a strong password to prevent unauthorized access.
* **Regularly Review Permissions:** Periodically review the permissions on your shared workbooks to ensure that only the necessary users have access.
* **Communicate Clearly:** Inform all users about the sharing and unsharing process. This will help prevent confusion and ensure that everyone is on the same page.
* **Backup Your Data:** Before making any changes to a shared workbook, always create a backup copy to protect against data loss.
* **Consider Co-Authoring:** Explore the co-authoring features in modern versions of Excel (OneDrive and SharePoint) for a more robust and collaborative experience.
* **Train Users:** Provide training to users on how to properly share and unshare workbooks, as well as how to collaborate effectively in Excel.

## Conclusion

Unsharing an Excel workbook is a crucial skill for maintaining data control and security. Whether you’re dealing with the legacy shared workbook feature or the more modern collaboration methods of OneDrive and SharePoint, understanding the correct steps and troubleshooting tips will ensure a smooth and efficient process. By following the guidelines outlined in this comprehensive guide, you can confidently manage the sharing status of your Excel workbooks and protect your valuable data.