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
    2012-08-23T08:39:51+00:00

    I came to this solution:

    copy a linke to the excel.exe to the sendto directory. This works definitively fine:

    Open the SendTo directory (W7):

    C:\Users\   [your user name]  \AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\SendTo

    Open the Office directory:

    C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office14

    and create a link to Excel.exe

    Move the Link to the SendTo directory.

    Now you can open the Excel-files by right click > send to > MS Excel

    This one works too.

    I found that the reg hack only works when starting the program from the Start menu. Using File Open still opened the new file in MDI.

    But I did it after applying the registry hack, so I don't know if they both work together.

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  2. Anonymous
    2012-08-27T14:18:59+00:00

    No... that is not entire correct.

    It will open another "window" FILE but...

    Most people are looking to find a way to open multiple Excel WINDOWS on SEPARATE WINDOW screens.. i.e.

    • Click MS Excel icon on home screen once then again and you have 2 separate windows.

    Problem is...

    When you click on an Excel spreadsheet then another one, you open up 2 spreadsheets showing in the Tab bar BUT there is ONLY ONE Windows screen when it should be TWO!

    Why the heck did Microsoft change the policy of merging all open spreadsheets into 1 Window?

    You obviously must NOT have work with large spreadsheets! <sarcasm>

    NO... it's NOT beneficial to just have separate Task bar Excel sheets ONLY!

    Answer:

    You'll need to change the Registry settings to correct this problem which MS caused itself!

    Problem is...

    Subsequent Windows updates "may" change the Modified Registry entries BACK and you'll need to Modify the Registry settings AGAIN!

    Thanks alot MS for your Inconvenience of Improving MS Office!

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  3. Anonymous
    2012-08-27T14:20:42+00:00

    This works, as you've noticed, on Win7.

    There are many people who still don't have Win7!

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