Launch Excel 2003 and open the file. If the file opens in read-only mode, you may still make changes and use the "Save As" command to save the file to a new name.

How to Get Excel to Prompt When Opened for Read or Write. Microsoft designed Excel with an optional feature that prompts users to view a workbook in a read-only mode and save edits under a ...

When enabled, Protected View opens Office documents in read-only mode with macros and other content disabled.

If you see The file couldn't open in protected view error while opening Microsoft Excel, the fixes listed in this post will help you.

An odd issue to be sure, in a niche use case. There is an office we just started working with and they have some new machines running Windows 11, alongside some older ones also running Windows 11 ...

Microsoft Office 2010 includes a new "Protected View" that, by default, will open all Outlook attachments and documents downloaded from the Internet in "read-only" mode.