Hide an Excel sheet

[Tomfoolery]

How to completely hide an Excel sheet — the VeryHidden method is not secure because the VBA project password can be hacked.


Thanks!

[arnelgp]

if you need robust protection of your VBA, use commercial third party tools.
Copilot have some suggestions:

If you're serious about locking down your Excel VBA code, Arnel, there are a few standout commercial tools that go far beyond simple password protection. Here’s a breakdown of the top contenders:
��️ 1. XLS Padlock

What it does: Compiles your VBA code into bytecode and embeds it in a protected workbook.

Key features:


Prevents access to the VBA editor entirely

Converts macros into binary code (not just obfuscation)

Supports licensing, activation keys, and trial versions


Best for: Developers distributing Excel-based applications who want strong protection without leaving the VBA ecosystem.

�� Explore XLS Padlock

�� 2. DoneEx VBA Compiler for Excel

What it does: Translates your VBA code into C-language and compiles it into a native Windows DLL.

Key features:


Highest level of protection — code is completely removed from the workbook

Supports trial/demo versions and registration keys

Boosts performance for some VBA routines


Best for: Advanced users who want impenetrable protection and are comfortable with DLL integration.

�� Check out DoneEx VBA Compiler

��️*��️ 3. Unviewable+

What it does: Makes your VBA project permanently unviewable in the editor.

Key features:


Multiple protection levels (Simple to Ultimate)

Multi-layer protection for add-ins

Easy to use interface


Best for: Quick protection without compilation; ideal for Excel add-ins and templates.

�� Learn about Unviewable+

[Aussiebear]

Actually 'Tom Foolery' , Im guessing that you all ready knew this like almost all users of excel, but you somehow wanted other to think you are an idiot. Congratulations for being the prime suspect

[medarda]

How to completely hide an Excel sheet — the VeryHidden method is not secure because the VBA project password can be hacked.
Thanks!

I recommend moving the sensitive logic or data into a compiled .xlam add-in. You can protect the add-in's code better and only expose functions through controlled interfaces. It's much harder to reverse engineer a compiled add-in than a standard workbook.

[Aussiebear]

You could for example hide a worksheet by having the workbook read data from another workbook either open or closed There are two common scenarios:
If the source workbook is already open, VBA can easily access its sheets directly.




Sub HideSheetsBasedOnOpenWorkbook()
Dim srcWB As Workbook
Dim wsName As String
Dim i As Long
' Set reference to the open workbook
Set srcWB = Workbooks("SourceWorkbook.xlsx") ' Change name as needed
' Loop through list of sheet names in column A of Sheet1
With srcWB.Sheets("Sheet1")
i = 1
Do While .Cells(i, 1).Value <> ""
wsName = .Cells(i, 1).Value
On Error Resume Next
ThisWorkbook.Sheets(wsName).Visible = xlSheetVeryHidden
On Error GoTo 0
i = i + 1
Loop
End With
End Sub

If the source workbook is closed, you can still read from it using ADO or Excel formulas. Here's an ADO example:

Add a reference: Tools > References > Microsoft ActiveX Data Objects x.x Library.
File must not be password-protected or filtered.


Sub HideSheetsFromClosedWorkbook()
Dim cn As Object, rs As Object
Dim wbPath As String
Dim sql As String
Dim sheetName As String
wbPath = "C:\Path\To\Your\SourceWorkbook.xlsx" ' <<-- Update this
' Setup connection
Set cn = CreateObject("ADODB.Connection")
Set rs = CreateObject("ADODB.Recordset")
cn.Open "Provider=Microsoft.ACE.OLEDB.12.0;Data Source=" & wbPath & ";" & "Extended Properties='Excel 12.0 Xml;HDR=YES';"
sql = "SELECT [Sheet1$].[SheetName] FROM [Sheet1$]"
rs.Open sql, cn
Do Until rs.EOF
sheetName = rs.Fields(0).Value
On Error Resume Next
ThisWorkbook.Sheets(sheetName).Visible = xlSheetVeryHidden
On Error GoTo 0
rs.MoveNext
Loop
rs.Close: cn.Close
Set rs = Nothing: Set cn = Nothing
End Sub


Again, a reasonably competent person will overcome this issue in time.

You can prompt the User to choose the source workbook at runtime. This makes your code dynamic and user-friendly, with no hardcoding of the name required. This concept will fail if there's a requirement to multi read from the source workbook.


Sub HideSheets_FromUserSelectedWorkbook()
Dim srcWB As Workbook
Dim fd As FileDialog
Dim filePath As String
Dim wsName As String
Dim i As Long
' Ask user to select the source workbook
Set fd = Application.FileDialog(msoFileDialogFilePicker)
With fd
.Title = "Select Source Workbook"
.Filters.Clear
.Filters.Add "Excel Files", "*.xls; *.xlsx; *.xlsm; *.xlsb"
.AllowMultiSelect = False
If .Show <> -1 Then Exit Sub ' User cancelled
filePath = .SelectedItems(1)
End With
' Open the source workbook read-only
Set srcWB = Workbooks.Open(filePath, ReadOnly:=True)
' Loop through list of sheet names in column A of Sheet1
With srcWB.Sheets(1) ' or use .Sheets("Sheet1")
i = 1
Do While .Cells(i, 1).Value <> ""
wsName = Trim(.Cells(i, 1).Value)
On Error Resume Next
ThisWorkbook.Sheets(wsName).Visible = xlSheetVeryHidden
On Error GoTo 0
i = i + 1
Loop
End With
' Close the source workbook without saving
srcWB.Close SaveChanges:=False
MsgBox "Specified sheets have been hidden based on " & vbCrLf & filePath, vbInformation
End Sub


However, over time a competant person will eventually over come this issue as well. Microsoft clearly made the decision to enhance ease of use over security when the designing things for Excel.