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

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

0 comments
Answer accepted by question author
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.

Was this answer helpful?

800+ people found this answer helpful.
0 comments
Answer accepted by question author
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

Was this answer helpful?

400+ people found this answer helpful.
0 comments

285 additional answers

Sort by: Newest
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Anonymous
    2010-11-03T02:41:41+00:00

    I'm sorry Rokawe, but have you read any of the replies in this thread?

    I do what you want all the time .

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  2. Anonymous
    2010-11-03T01:21:21+00:00

    sorry this does not answer the question as you suppose the person wants to open one version of Excel with 2 documents bein open. This is not the case.

    Yup, the levels of frustration escalate. What I think the developers dont understand is how people use their products in real working situations. We dont want 2 documents (be they word, excel etc) open in thesame window, but need 2versions of word/excel to be open simultaneously. This is important when working on 2 different spreadsheets (not 2 different versions of the same document) and having to transfer/refer information between the two. Often work like this is aided by working with 2 or more screens. How can you work with multiple screens if all documents are open in the same window? it is not physically possible.

    This inability to do this is incredibly frustrating - especially as many people I know work with huge speadsheets, (for example), on a regular basis. Basically, this change in functionality affects the ability of people to do work they used to be able to do, and increases their level of frustrations when what used to be a simple operation simply is not there any more.

    This is a sad oversight on the developers part - and in researching an answer to this problem - it is apparent that I am not the only person affected, irritated and generally pissed off by this 'malfunction'.

    It needs to be fixed ASAP. Any developers listening?????

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  3. Anonymous
    2010-10-26T23:00:51+00:00

    This worked with Excel 2007 in Win 7:

    1. Open an excel file
    2. go to the taskbar and right click on the excel icon
    3. Left click on Microsoft Office Excel 2007"

    You will get a new window with another instance of Excel. Open your 2nd file there

    You can repeat this process as many times as you want (I have 5 Excel windows open at this time)

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments