Copy from a Protected Google Sheet/Doc

How to “secure” your Doc/Sheet

Google Docs/Sheets give users ability to “lock” their content. This makes files viewable but no editing or copying will work.

To secure your doc/sheet, click on the share button:

In the new popup click on the gear icon:

In this settings page, uncheck the “Viewers and commenters can see the option to download, print, and copy”

If you don’t want people to change the content in a spreadsheet, you can protect it. This shouldn’t be used as a security measure. People can print, copy, paste, and import and export copies of a protected spreadsheet. Only share spreadsheets with people you trust.

How to copy a “secure” Google Doc/Sheet

When you try to copy anything from a “protected” Google Doc/Sheet, you will get an error message.

To get around this, update the URL to end with /mobilebasic instead of /edit:

Next disable javascript on the browser by opening “Developer Tools” window and pressing “CTRL+SHIFT+P” or “CMD+SHIFT+P” to get the Command window. Type/select “Disable JavaScript” from this window:

Refresh the page and you should now be able to copy the data.

Note: This method does NOT copy the formatting from the source.