Hide an Excel sheet

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


Thanks!

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+

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

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Tomfoolery

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

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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.

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.

Code:

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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

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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.

Code:

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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

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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.

Code:

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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

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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.