And to add to Bernie's warning...

Don't include the SSN's in any workbook you share with others--even if you put
them in a hidden column or a hidden worksheet.

Excel's protection isn't made for protecting this kind of thing. It's made to
stop inadvertent typing errors (stopping people from overwriting a formula).

Ed H wrote:

I am doing verification forms and it includes ss#. Because of identify
thief, I want to mask all of it except for the last four digits. I am using
a spreadsheet as my database. I have the ss# entered in one column and would
like to set the next column with the masked number.

--

Dave Peterson