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.