Protection overview
Protect your Excel workbook
on every front, in one place.
Protecting an Excel workbook is not a single switch but several layers working together: the file is compiled into an encrypted EXE, formulas are hidden, VBA is compiled, and every copy is locked to a license. This page is the map. It points you to the page that handles each layer, and to the step-by-step guide.
Every layer of protection, one tool.
Protection is not a single switch. XLS Padlock layers workbook encryption, formula hiding, compiled VBA, and locked activation, each with its own dedicated page.
Excel Compiler
Compile your XLSX, XLSM, or XLSB into a standalone Windows EXE. The workbook never lands on disk as a plain spreadsheet.
See the compilerWorkbook security
The workbook sits inside an AES-256 encrypted container embedded in the EXE. No password to crack, no copy to extract.
Read about securityProtect formulas
Hide and encrypt your formulas at compile time. Cells still compute the right value, but the formula bar shows opaque calls only.
Hide your formulasVBA Compiler
Compile your macros to native bytecode and drop the source. No editor access, no password, no copy-paste of your logic.
Compile your VBASave options
Decide exactly how, and whether, your customers can save changes to the protected workbook they run.
Control savingA few clicks to a protected EXE.
Protection is a short workflow inside the XLS Padlock manager. Here is the flow at a glance. The full procedure, screen by screen, lives in the documentation.
- 1
Open and save your workbook
Load your XLSX, XLSM, or XLSB in the XLS Padlock manager and save the protected project alongside it.
- 2
Configure protection
Choose which formulas to hide and encrypt, mark VBA modules to compile, and set your activation rules.
- 3
Compile to a secure EXE
One click produces a Windows EXE with the encrypted container inside. Hand it to your customer or ship it from your store.
Once it is protected, license it.
A protected EXE is only half the story. Lock each copy to its buyer and sell your workbooks the way you want, all from the same license.
-
Online activation
Validate each activation against an online server you host, with per-user keys you generate, count, and revoke.
Set up activation -
Hardware-locked keys
Bind every license to its machine so a key cannot be shared or reused on another computer.
Lock to a machine -
Sell with WooCommerce
Connect your protected workbook to WooCommerce and deliver activation keys automatically on each order.
Sell with WooCommerce -
Recurring billing
Bill access to your protected workbook on a recurring basis and turn a single template into ongoing revenue.
Bill recurring access
You stay in control.
XLS Padlock is a one-time purchase, not a middleman between you and your buyers. Everything the protection depends on stays yours.
Shipping since 2013 from G.D.G. Software. A desktop tool you can build a business on.
- The workbook
- Your .xlsx never leaves your machine. You compile it yourself into a standalone EXE.
- The keys
- You generate, count, and revoke activation keys. No per-copy fee, no royalties on your sales.
- The server
- Activations validate against a PHP server you host and own, not ours.
- The customer
- You sell directly. The buyer relationship and the full revenue stay with you.