To protect specific cells in a worksheet while allowing others to remain editable, you can use Excel's "Protect Sheet" feature along with cell locking. Here's how to do it:
Select the Cells to Protect:
Click and drag to select the cells that you want to protect.
You can select non-contiguous cells by holding down the Ctrl key while selecting.
Right-click on the Selected Cells:
After selecting the cells, right-click on one of the selected cells.
From the context menu, choose "Format Cells."
Open the Protection Tab:
In the "Format Cells" dialog box, go to the "Protection" tab.
Check the "Locked" Option:
Make sure the "Locked" checkbox is checked. This will lock the selected cells.
Close the Dialog Box:
Click "OK" to close the "Format Cells" dialog box.
Protect the Worksheet:
Go to the "Review" tab on the Excel ribbon.
In the "Changes" group, click on "Protect Sheet."
Set Password (Optional):
If you want to password-protect the sheet, enter a password in the "Password to unprotect sheet" field. This step is optional.
Choose Protection Options:
In the "Protect Sheet" dialog box, you can choose various options to allow specific actions, such as selecting locked cells, formatting cells, or inserting rows/columns.
Make sure to uncheck "Select locked cells" if you want to prevent users from selecting the protected cells.
Click "OK":
Click "OK" to apply the protection settings and protect the worksheet.
After protecting the worksheet, only the cells that you previously unlocked will be editable. Other cells will be protected, and users won't be able to edit their contents unless they unprotect the sheet (if it's password-protected, they will need to enter the password). This method allows you to control which parts of the worksheet can be modified while keeping other parts secure.
Either way the teacher or student will get the solution to the problem within 24 hours.