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
    2016-10-05T11:42:38+00:00

    It won't be fixed because it is a Windows XP issue which is outside its support lifecycle. Only security fixes will be made for Win XP.

    It is NOT unique to XP.  It happens in Win 7 & 10. What a cop-out.  Fix THE PROBLEM.

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  2. Anonymous
    2016-07-25T18:44:06+00:00

    THANK YOU SO MUCH!!  Finally my excel isn't making me a little crazy when using multiple pages.  I hope someone at Microsoft reads your post and issues a patch or something.

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  3. Anonymous
    2016-07-25T04:41:45+00:00

    I have 64 bit Office 2016 (Office 365) on Windows 10. I think this has been bothering me for about a year, but it could have been more or less. It finally bothered me enough to go looking for a solution. Thank you dmurf for posting the question, and for posting it well.

    (Edit: I just realized this question is under Office 2007, Word. So my Office 2016 and Excel fixes might be out of place here, but I don't want to go finding a better place for them.)

    I don’t work with my documents maximized, so my most recently edited minimized document doesn’t maximize - it comes up behind my newly opened one, and slightly offset. I don’t get any flashing,

    Thank you to hubdog, CaesarC66, FakePerson, and Rohn007 for their helpful posts, and to everyone else for helping by posting their ideas, trials and results. My solutions are based on your solutions.

    RegEdit note: changes you make are applied the instant you make them. You don’t need to close regedit or any programs or restart Windows.

    Here is what worked for me:

    Word

    Regedit

    HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Word.Document.12\shell\Open\command

    HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Word.Document.8\shell\Open\command

    Just add /q in front of /n. I don’t have any Command line under the Default line..

    Before: Default: "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Root\Office16\WINWORD.EXE" /n "%1" /o "%u"

    After: Default:****"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Root\Office16\WINWORD.EXE" /q /n "%1" /o "%u"

    I tried changing just one of Document.12 and Document.8, but they both needed to be changed for it to work.

    This worked perfectly, except that the next day (today) the /q was gone and my pop-up was back. I added the /q back in and my pop-up Word docs were gone again. Day three: same thing. I think adding the /q is less annoying than the popups, though. Day four: no pup-ups and I didn't have to add the /q again! Still fine day 13.

    Excel

    Regedit

    HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Excel.Sheet.12\shell\Open\command

    HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Excel.Sheet.8\shell\Open\command

    Before:  Default: "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Root\Office16\EXCEL.EXE" /dde

    After:   Default: "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Root\Office16\EXCEL.EXE" /q /n "%1"

    Under the command folder in both sheet.12 and sheet.8, rename the ddeexec folder to ddeexec.disabled .

    There are also ddeexec folders under the OpenAsReadOnly and Print folders of sheet.8 and 12 shell folder. I did not change those.

    As in Word, I don’t have a Command: line under my Default: line.

    The Excel change did not disappear after a day, and is still fine after 13 days.

    HOWEVER: sometimes I cannot copy and paste formulas between spreadsheets. I get "The range you are pasting contains formulas that cannot be pasted into this instance of Excel." I then have to copy formulas one at a time from the formula bar, or revert the two ddeexec.disabled folders back to ddeexec. It came up about two weeks after I applied the pop-up fix, so I think I will live with renaming the ddeexec.disabled folders when I want to paste many formulas, rather than living with the pop-ups every day.

    Edit: Windows 10 Anniversary Edition (August 2016)

    Word still works fine. The Excel changes are still there, but they aren’t working (I get a popup Excel).

    Tried same changes as above on: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Excel.Sheet.12\shell\Open\command

    That fixed it! I also seem to be able to copy multiple cells of formulas between files with no problem.

    Word Options

    Regarding the "quickly access this number of recent documents" setting in Word>File>Options>Advanced>Display:

    For me it does not affect my minimized document popups. I was only getting 1 popup before, though. The option tag says: “Enable the Quick Access Recent Documents List.” 

    I tried putting this setting at 2, and it did not change to 2 popups.

    What this option does is give you a list of your most recent documents on the left side of your File tab. You can set it for 1 to 50.

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