Excel doesn't show a selected cell when window lost focus

Question

Hello there,

My problem is very simple, but bothering at same time. I'm working with two big monitors, and sometimes have multiple Excel windows open at same time. The problem is, when I select a cell in one window and the go to another one, the selection from a first window is lost... What I mean, the cell is still selected, but I can't see it any more. Let me illustrate with an example:

I'm crazy? Not really. Sometimes working with big tables, I'd like to select a cell/row/area/whatever and keep it as reference. The old version of office  didn't have this problem. It's more, notepad does it good!

Any idea? Help please!!!

Answer 1

This is a real pain when you use two displays and have to copy/compare data between them.

Smart guys at Microsoft, if one application is supposed to show large and messy lists of data, didn't you ever think about making our life easier by shadowing the current selection no matter which window is active? "Active Window" is a technical matter, not an end-user concern.

If this was the first Excel version it'd be ok, but it has been running for decades!

Answer 2

I agree it should be possible to display in some way what was selected, even if the window lost focus. I understand the selection in an unfocused window should be displayed in another way from the selection in a focused window, but setting up something shouldn't be difficult.

For example, Google Chrome (yes, this is not a Microsoft software, but if Microsoft had done it, I wouldn't have had to use this example) uses blue to show the selection when the window is active, but switches to grey when the window loses focus.

Answer 3

This is one of my my biggest pet peeves and least favorite "features" of newer versions of Windows & Office as it USED to work just fine in previous versions. In my work I'm CONSTANTLY switching between spreadsheets comparing values and it has gotten to the point when I'm really tired and having difficulty concentrating that I will touch one monitor with my finger and hold it there while I compare the other so as not to lose my place. I wish I could revert to Windows XP and Office XP.

No ribbons.

No fluff.

No big stupid home screen that pops up when I choose "file" to go "save as" as it obscures the content of the spreadsheet which is sometimes needed for file naming purposes.

Easy to find & adjust document properties.

Easy to find & adjust file/folder properties.

Easy to decipher preferences/settings without having to bend your mind reading double negatives hidden behind "sub-menus" (ever try figuring our how to turn off sticky keys?)

A normal human search function which more easily lets you search for files containing or files with certain extensions, modified within date ranges etc.

A start button which doesn't overwhelm me with every possible thing on my machine

Normal desktop icons which I can actually use rather than these huge "tiles" all designed for touch screens...

Constantly asking me "are you sure" or "did you mean" after every action I make effectively doubling my clicks/keystrokes/time it takes to do anything.

I could go on...

Bottom line is by catering to the lowest common denominator, dumbing everything down, and hiding the complex bits from the children, they've taken incredible useful and efficient product and turned it into an annoyance and  nightmare to use, and wonder why their market share is dropping?

Please MS - I still love you more than I ever could Apple or Google products. You were already better than them. Stop trying to copy the garbage they sell because it "looks pretty".

/end rant

Answer 4

I have discovered a state of the art way to maintain context in an Excel file when focus is lost:  use a post-it note to mark the physical location on the screen.  Microsoft should give away post-it notes to get around the out-of-focus context problem since apparently it's too hard to fix in software.

Answer 5

Finally I can discard my clingwrap + whiteboard marker method.