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I found lots on the internet about how to disable protected view. I don't want to disable it. I want it to still apply by default. But the the current file that is opened in Protected View, I want to exit Protected View. Is there any way to do this?

Emily posted the helpful link that says to click Enable Editing in the message bar. If the message bar is present, then that solution is clear. If the message bar has been banished, however, it isn't clear how to bring it back, or what another means might be to enable editing.

user2153235
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  • Please refer to "[Disable protection view for specialized files](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/what-is-protected-view-d6f09ac7-e6b9-4495-8e43-2bbcdbcb6653#bm2)", or you try to add the path of this file into trusted location to have a check. – Emily Oct 15 '20 at 09:37
  • Thanks Emily. That link refers to a message bar, and if the message bar is present, the solution is straightforward. I posted this question because I had banished the message bar. I've now clarified this in my question. – user2153235 Oct 15 '20 at 21:51

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Are you using Office in a domain / enterprise environment? According to Microsoft (https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/what-is-protected-view-d6f09ac7-e6b9-4495-8e43-2bbcdbcb6653#bm3)

Why can't I exit Protected View?

If you can’t exit Protected View, it's possible that your systems administrator has rules established that prevent leaving Protected View. Speak to your administrator to determine whether such rules have been made.

If that is the case, I do not know how to re-Enable editing. However, Protected View still allows you to Copy. You can copy the entire spreadsheet into a new document and get around the restriction.

some user
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  • I wasn't the one who downvoted, but I'd like to respond. It's difficult for me to replicate that situation from almost a year ago. When I read your response, however, I wonder why the message bar to disable protection view was initially present if there were rules to prevent leaving Protected View. – user2153235 Sep 02 '21 at 18:03
  • The message bar is there to tell you that you cannot edit because it is in Protected Mode. It says you need to disable the Protected Mode, only that for you, you likely don't have that privilege. I agree that Excel would have made a better error message. I am not sure why someone downvoted my answer. I was facing the same issue and the Copy & Paste method saved me. It is the closest to a solution apart from fighting an uphill battle with System Administrators. – some user Sep 02 '21 at 21:56
  • Thanks for clarifying. That information is helpful. I will give it a spin when I next encounter the problem. If it works, I'll mark this as the answer. – user2153235 Sep 02 '21 at 22:12