Excel 2013 Compatibility - Password protected file

[AverageAmy]

I am in the process of making a large number of Excel 2000 spreadsheets also work in Excel 2010 and Excel 2013. I have Excel 2000, Excel 2010, and Excel 2013 installed side-by-side on my Windows 7 system. I discovered that when a file (even a very simple file) is created in Excel 2013, and saved as an .xls (97-2003) workbook with a password to open the file, it could no longer be opened in Excel 2000.

When I open the file from Excel 2000, I’m asked for the password to open, and when I enter the password this error message pops up:

“The password you supplied is not correct. Verify that the CAPS LOCK key is off and be sure to use the correct capitalization.”

The same file with the same password can be opened in both Excel 2010 and Excel 2013.

Further, if I create the same file in Excel 2010, it can be opened in Excel 2000. A file created with Excel 2013 but with no password to open can be opened just fine in Excel 2000. This is an issue because there will be a period of time when some of our staff will be working in Excel 2013 while others will still be using Excel 2000 and all need to be able to open all files.

Has anybody else come across this problem? Can anybody suggest a solution?

 

[XLfriend777]

Hi AverageAmy - Remember - nobody working in Excel is "Average" . As nobody has attempted an answer I thought I would help get things started. First I must confess I don't have access to Excel 2000 and don't know how to correct that issue. I did however, have a thought. For the interim, until the ancient Excel 2000ers are upgraded, you might consider unprotecting the Excel files and then placing them in a password-protected folder. I did a little searching and found the following: "Most Zip managers, including popular freebie 7-Zip, give you the option to password-protect any zipped files and folders. Yes, you have to jump through the hoops of compressing and decompressing folders, but perhaps that's not a big deal for stuff you access infrequently.No good? Then drop a few bucks on a utility like Folder Lock, which is designed solely for the purpose of, well, locking folders. It's a little pricey at $40, so you might also want to check out Iobit's similar Protected Folder, which costs half as much." Hope this helps.

 

[AverageAmy]

Thank you for the response, goesr. Cute comment about not being Average.

I will check into the option of protecting a folder instead of protecting a file. You provided great information on pricing, too. Thanks!

I have another peculiar data point - I found someone in the company using Excel 2003, and they could open the file that wouldn't open in Excel 2000. So the issue seems to only be Excel 2013 to Excel 2000 compatibility. Odd! And I know this factor makes the problem apply to very few users.

Also note: I tested someone who ONLY has Excel 2000 on their system (instead of multiple Excel versions) and neither of us could open the file from 2000.