Mark a Workbook as Final

1. Choose Office Button => Prepare => Mark as Final. The message box appears and click ok.
2. If you have not yet saved the file, the Save As dialog box appears. Enter the filename and save the file. Otherwise, Excel saves the file and the words Read-Only appear next to the filename on the Title bar. The Mark as Final feature is designed to prevent accidental changes and is not permanent. If you find you need to make changes to the workbook, choose Office Button => Prepare => Mark as Final again to turn off the Read-Only function.

Marking a document as final is not a security measure. Anyone who opens the workbook can choose Office => Prepare => Mark As Final to cancel the mark as final designation. After the user selects that command, the workbook is no longer read-only or view-only. Therefore, this method doesn't guarantee that others will not change the workbook.