Excel: Can't set user-specific editable ranges in protected sheet

Question

I have created a spreadsheet in which all the non-data-entry-cells have been locked and subsequently protected with the 'Protect Sheet' and 'Protect Workbook' buttons. So far, so good. However, I want to enable specific users to be allowed to edit a specific area without unlocking the entire spreadsheet. Which should be easy given that it appears to be an explicit excel feature

So I define a range using the 'Allow Users to Edit Ranges' button and give it a memorable title. I set a password AND pick myself from the list of users AND my computer from the list of computers. I check that 'Allow to edit range without password' is set for both in 'Permissions'.

My problem is that despite doing all this, once I lock the spreadsheet, it feels just as locked to me as it would to any other user. If I click any cell in the the range, I cannot mark it. If I double-click a cell - any cell, regardless of whether it's in the range or not - I get the customary Cell is Protected message.

I would expect the cells in the range to simply be editable to me/my computer, or at the least that doubleclicking would prompt me for the 'permission to edit range' password (not to be confused with the 'unlock entire spreadsheet' password).

Can anybody tell me what I'm doing wrong?

Answer 1

See this explanation for 2007.

You want to be quite specific with the cells that get locked. If you lock the entire worksheet with no custom set of cells, they are all locked regardless of the permissions you have set.