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
    2011-12-21T18:06:52+00:00

    The dragging the icon part didn't work for me.  But once I had the separtate window open on a separate screen, I was able to use the file menu to open the  second excel document I wanted, and they did stay in separate screens!  Thank you!  I've been wanting to have this capability for a long time.  Thanks for the help!

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  2. Anonymous
    2011-12-22T02:01:10+00:00

    Maybe this is too easy, but........

    • open two spreadsheets (I double-clicked on the filenames in Windows Explorer);
    • click on the View tab;
    • click on "Arrange All" in the Window group;
    • select the "Vertical" button for how you want your windows to be split;
    • you are viewing two Excel files in separate windows, side by side.

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  3. Anonymous
    2011-12-22T04:54:04+00:00

    The problem is that I have multiple monitors. I want to have worksheet 1 on monitor 1, worksheet 2 on monitor 2, and worksheet 3 on monitor 3.

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