To protect specific cells or ranges from editing in Google Sheets, you can follow these steps:
Open your Google Sheets document.
Select the cells or range of cells that you want to protect.
Go to the "Data" menu at the top of the screen and click on "Protect sheets and ranges."
In the sidebar that opens on the right side of the screen, click on the "Set Permissions" button.
In the "Set Permissions" window, you can choose who can edit the range by clicking on the dropdown menu next to "Restrict who can edit this range."
You can select options such as "Only you" (which will give only you editing access) or "Custom" (which allows you to specify individual users or groups).
If you select "Custom," you can enter the email address of users or groups that you want to allow or disallow editing.
Click on the "Done" button to save your changes.
You can also choose to add a description or warning message by clicking on the "Add a description or warning" link in the "Set Permissions" window. This will display a message when someone tries to edit the protected range.
Finally, click on the "Set Permissions" button in the sidebar to apply the protection settings to the selected cells or range.
Now, the cells or range you have chosen will be protected, and only those with permission will be able to edit them.