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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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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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
    2011-03-07T16:20:07+00:00

    I hope this is changed in the next version of office. This is such a common and obvious need (to easily open and work with excel (or word, or whatever) files, each in their own unique instance of the application, that seems to me to be a really stunning oversight by Microsoft. Multi-document interface is fine, but there should really be a very easy, simple, and obvious way to turn off this behavior.

    You can start a new instance of the office application and choose file open, to get your second file in its own instance of the application, but it shouldn't be that cumbersome.

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  2. Anonymous
    2011-03-03T18:03:25+00:00

    Open the first file.  Then hold the control key and double click on the second file.  The control key will start another instance of Excel in a new window.

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  3. Anonymous
    2011-03-03T01:56:21+00:00

    Thank you! Worked as you said!

    Very pleased.

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