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

Thank You!!, Excellent!

If you open Excel from the actual "EXCEL.exe" file while another window is open, you will get a completely new Excel window, which you can put anywhere you want...

If you make a shortcut anywhere but from the same place you started from originally (Start Menu, let's say) like on your Desktop, and open it, you'll get a new window each time.

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I'm late for this thread, I'm sorry. But I'm want to tell that developed by Microsoft common approach of how to open two excel files in separate windows is quite enough, regardless of the system or Microsoft Office that you're using. It means to run Microsoft Excel as a separate instance you should use standard launch by clicking twice on excel.exe program at your Office folder, or by through any shortcuts which are referencing to excel.exe, no matter where those shortcuts are placed.

It means also that if you use double click method to open some Workbook, they will opens only in an instance of Microsoft Excel that currently is active (last that was used), or at least in a single instance of Microsoft Excel. Of course you can use any type of drag-and-drop **** methods to open Workbook in any instance of Microsoft Excel, even in those which were inactive. If there are no an instance of Microsoft Excel when you double click on Workbook icon, then first a Workbook will open first instance of Microsoft Excel and then will place their own content on first screen within Microsoft Excel window.

Next Workbook will be opened on the second screen of the Microsoft Excel window, and so on. You can find this out by clicking on Minimize Workbook button (near the button Minimize Microsoft Excel ), or by clicking Arrange button at drop-down menu titled Windows. But how to open two Workbook files in two separate windows? In accordance with described above the answer is simple. You shouldn't  use OpenWith or DoubleClick methods when you need to open your Workbook in separate instance of Microsoft Excel. You should use SendTo method for this goal.

To do this go to folder where your Office is placed. Find and select program named excel.exe. Then by right click choose Create Shortcut and if you want, you can rename it to Microsoft Excel. Then move it to SendTo folder (by Cut and Paste). If you dont know where the SendTo folder is placed, run  %Userprofile%\SendTo command through Start>Run.

It is all you need. You shouldn't disable DDE In Microsoft Excel, as well as make any changes in windows registry. You dont need to reboot computer. Now go to folder where you keep files of your Workbooks, select few ones, then right click and select Send To > Microsoft Excel. Selected files will open all together in new instance of Microsoft Excel. At last, select single Workbook, and by right click select Send To > Microsoft Excel. And Voila! you are there. Sorry my English. Best wishes.

Update:

In additional, you can easy Arrange any amount of selected instances of Microsoft Excel within full size of your monitor screen to view them side by side. Hold down Ctrl key, select by mouse click all instances from TaskBar that you want to Arrange, no matter what applications presented there (few instances Microsoft Excel, Windows Explorer, Microsoft Word and so on). Move the mouse pointer on selected group and choose by right click mouse one method of Arrange that you want.