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

Using Control-C as Ivan suggested works if you don't need the clip and until you write something on the second worksheet. The post-it solution is better :-)

But it still does not solve another problem: when focus is lost, the status bar with average, count and sum is lost. It is an issue because I also use several worsheets and I need to see those values. Of course I could add a formula to some cell but not if the worksheet is protected...

Answer 2

yup.. silly MS engineers designed this nonsense. Productivity is killed by their recent ideas. It's 20 years since MS invented something.

The terrible smooth graphics in Win corrupts productivity: can't see what window is focused. How to work in multi screen multi window environment like that? Hello!

Answer 3

Wake up it's 2018. M$ wants you to move to web.

Works fine in Excel online. Just incase this is what you get annoyed of every day.

But I still think it's crazy they cant fix it in the desktop version...

"not active" window

Answer 4

Nice! But won't use online, non-open source, editor for my private data as long as i live.

Answer 5

Jorge, I agree.  I have multiple monitors and am always highlighting to get sum at bottom, to use in another document on a different screen.  The moment I click on that document, the "sum" goes away.  It doesn't make any sense since it used to work!  Why Microsoft would take away that function is beyond me...yet not surprising.