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I want to open 2 excel files in separate windows to view them side by side... but each time I try, it opens them in the same window

Anonymous
2009-11-14T01:05:58+00:00

I want to open 2 excel files in separate windows to view them side by side... but each time I try, it opens them in the same window.  is there a way around this?

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | For home | Windows

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  1. Anonymous
    2011-03-15T22:03:50+00:00

    I use Windows 7 and this is what works for me (just figured it out):

    1.  Open your first Excel file and place it on the screen you want

    2.  Open a new Excel file from the Excel icon

    3.  The new file will open on top of the one you have already opened.  Drag it to the other screen

    4.  Drag the icon for the second Excel file INTO the new (blank) Excel document

    Voila!  Two separate screens.

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  1. Anonymous
    2010-04-30T19:36:49+00:00

    ok, just because i don't have the petiance to wait for you to answer to my first question about which excel version you'r using i'll just give my solution for all the people who have w7 and office 2007:

    the solution involves making little changes in the registry so i recommend making back up for just in case:

    strart - run - regedit:

    Left column

    HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT/Excel.Sheet.8/shell/Open/commend:

    Right column {adding (space)"%1"}

    Double Click on (Default) and write - "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office12\EXCEL.EXE" /e "%1"

    Right Click on Command – choose "rename" and add something to the name 

    • for example 2 (commend2).

    Left column

    HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT/Excel.Sheet.8/shell/Open/ddeexec:

    Right Click on the folder ddeexec and choose "rename" and add something to the name 

    • for example 2 (ddeexec2)

    Left column

    HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT/Excel.Sheet.12/shell/Open/commend:

    Right column {adding (space)"%1"}

    Double Click on (Default) and write -****"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office12\EXCEL.EXE" /e "%1"

    Right Click on Command – choose "rename" and add something to the name 

    • for example 2 (commend2).

    no restart needed

    Have Fun

    hope i helped

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  1. Anonymous
    2009-12-08T13:24:35+00:00

    I'm not sure that the instructions answer the question.  I have had a lot of frustration in W7 over this same issue. 

    It is different than it was in XP or Vista.  If you have one instance of Excel open on the task bar and you just try to open another window by clicking the Office button and then new, it will open a new spreadsheet like it is part of the same workbook (even though it is a separate file).  You can't separate them and see them both simultaneously on two screens or side-by-side on the same screen. Clicking between the pages on the task bar simply places the most recent spreadsheet on top so you have to flip back and forth.

    I have been able to have separate instances of Excel open on separate screens by opening the second instance of the program manually - going to START, ALL PROGRAMS, MICROSOFT OFFICE and then launching Excel from there.

    I think this was an unforeseen consequence of the new W7 task bar interface.  I don't like it.  It makes it harder to work in MS Office.  I would suggest a fix in the next service pack.

    RV3

    60+ people found this answer helpful.
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  2. Anonymous
    2009-12-10T19:20:58+00:00

    I open another instance of excel...simply click the excel icon on the task bar with the mouse wheel.  Done!  Or, if you don't have a wheel, left click and drag (swoosh) the icon.  A little window pops up.  Click on icon to run the instance again.  Hope this make sense!

    50+ people found this answer helpful.
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  3. Anonymous
    2010-05-27T21:22:25+00:00

    That method doesn't work for a lot of us.  We want to be able to move spreadsheets around on the desktop, one at a time, without having all of them inside of one instance of Excel.

    I will try the regedit solution above.

    30+ people found this answer helpful.
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