How do I prevent Word from redisplaying multiple minimized open documents when opening a new document?

Anonymous
2010-04-01T09:17:27+00:00

When I have multiple Word documents open, but minimized and I open an already created document, all of the minimized documents will get redisplayed (ie. maximized) to the screen.  Additionally, I believe the last edited document will be displayed on top and its listing on the start/task bar will begin flashing and it will not turn off until the flashing listing is clicked.  I then have to reminimize all of the documents and navigate to the document that I originally wanted open.

As a user, I would want all of the open minimized documents to remain minimized and the document that I'm opening to be presented without having to click anything on the start/task bar.

dmurf

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For home | Windows

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Anonymous
2012-08-11T17:55:48+00:00

Try this:  Right-click on the lower taskbar (the dark band that runs across the bottom of your screen), in an empty space, not on an icon.  You should see a small window open up that gives you different options for displaying the documents you are working on.  Cascade windows is sometimes helpful if you are going back and forth between different documents.  You can drag the edges of a document so that you can see two documents at the same time.  You just need to click on one to bring it more to the  front.  Stacked windows is another option.  Then you will see all of the documents at once.  That may be what you have had selected.  Side-by-side windows is another.  Experiment with these options.  It may help you.

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Anonymous
2010-04-01T21:52:51+00:00

A newly opened document will not cause other minimized or open Word documents to come to the front. But the newly opened document will not come to the front itself, it launches as an open window. 

The easiest way to eliminate that is by using keyboard shortcuts:

To minimize all the windows and get back to the desktop:        Windows + D

To open a new word blank document                              :       CTRL + N

To open a word document from a location                       :       CTRL + O        

There's an option under Word Options / Advanced / Display, named Show all windows in the taskbar. Turning it off hides all Word icons in the taskbar but one. This way the described behavior disappears but at the same time goes the ease of restoring a minimized document.

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  1. Anonymous
    2013-06-03T19:16:51+00:00

    Hi, This problem was driving me insane. I managed to fix it on my Windows 7 Pro desktop with Office 2013.

    My registry had these settings under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Word.Document.12\shell\Open\command:

    Default: "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office15\WINWORD.EXE" /n "%1" /o "%u"

    Command: yh1BV5!!!!!!!!!MKKSkWORDFiles>!2-1&m&8y@Nmo2r)^f-C /n "%1" /o "%u"

    I changed them to this (removing the, "/o "%u"" and adding "/q" before "/n" to remove the splash screen :

    Default: "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office15\WINWORD.EXE" /q /n "%1"

    Command: yh1BV5!!!!!!!!!MKKSkWORDFiles>!2-1&m&8y@Nmo2r)^f-C /q /n "%1"

    I did the same for HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Word.Document.8\shell\Open\command, and am now able to open other files without restoring or maxmizing other minimized Word .doc or .docx files. Please let me know if this works for you as well.

    Regards,

    Keith

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  2. Anonymous
    2010-06-10T23:04:38+00:00

    I've been irritated by this bug for the last year or more, but have never found any posts related to it until this one.  Your solutions sound like a way to reminimize all docs after the fact (that's a duct tape fix), or change the setting so you can't see multiple minimized docs (which is worse than the bug).  Are you telling us that Word 2007 isdesigned to maximize all the other minimized docs when opening another?  That makes absolutely no sense.  This has to be a bug, not a feature.  Please, how do I turn it off?!

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  3. Anonymous
    2010-06-23T13:19:48+00:00

    It's not a unique bug or third party issue; I have the exact same problem and it drives me insane.

    I have Windows XP and Microsoft Office 2007 (probably professional:  Word, Excel, Access, Outlook, Publisher, PowerPoint, InfoPath)

    Situation:

    • Have open one or more documents; all of them are minimized and displayed individually in the task bar.
    • Open 'My Documents' or 'My Computer' or any other folder; double click on new Word document to open it.
    • The new document opens and Word also maximizes the last document that was opened (i.e. if there are documents 1, 2 and 3 from left to right in the task bar, and I open 4, 4 is maximized on top, and if I minimize it, 3 is also maximized)

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