Q A friend asked me if he can lock a single cell and prevent it from being used in an Excel spreadsheet. He can lock rows or columns but he can't lock a single cell. I don't know anything at all about spreadsheets, so I hope you can help.

A It is possible to lock individual cells in an Excel worksheet so that their contents can't be changed, moved or deleted. In Excel 97, select the entire worksheet by pressing <Ctrl>-<Shift>-<Space>, then choose Format-Cells, and click on the Protection tab. Make sure the Locked checkbox is unchecked, and click the OK button.

Caption: Lock individual cells in Excel 97

Next, select the cell or cells you want to lock, choose Format-Cells, and click the Protection tab. Click in the Locked checkbox so that it is checked and click the OK button. It's important to remember that locking cells has no effect until you protect the worksheet. To do this choose Tools-Protection-Protect Sheet, select the Contents box, and click the OK button.