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
    2011-06-15T14:26:17+00:00

    Thank you very much you are the best. this solution works for me..... and a lot simpler than fiddling with the registry. have you thought of asking MS for a job, you could make yourself a fortune... :)

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  2. Anonymous
    2011-06-15T14:23:42+00:00

    Ok, this method didn't work for me. I'm on win 7 pro using office 2010 beta.

     

    Why in the world would MS make it so that all my excel spreadsheets open in a single instance of excel? The future of computers is multi-monitor displays (look at ATI Radeon HD 5xxx cards, nearly everyone with a laptop as their main comp has a second monitor they plug in to). Why in the world would MS decide that they are going to now make all my spreadsheets open in the same instance/windows of excel now? I mean, tabbed excel browsing or something would be great, but theres no tabs in excel like there is in web browsers and other apps. Also, it wouldn't really be an issue if there were an easy way to right click on an excel document/tab and say "move to new window" or something. ____ amateurs over there at MS.

    I can't believe you asked that.... this is Bill Gates/MS we are talking about, lately they have just created problem after problem.....

    I have tried the other method of changing the registry and it does not work for me... i dont know why... I am on windows 7 office 2007 ( I used a similar mathod on my old XP machine and got results.... but windows7 is being a nightmare... In more ways than one.

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  3. Anonymous
    2011-06-14T14:10:15+00:00

    I tried the above steps and they did not work.

    Excel Specs:

    Microsoft Office Excel 2007 (12.0.6550.5004) SP2 MSO (12.0.6554.5001)

    PC Specs:

    OS Name Microsoft Windows XP Professional

    Version 5.1.2600 Service Pack 3 Build 2600

    OS Manufacturer Microsoft Corporation

    System Name XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

    System Manufacturer Hewlett-Packard

    System Model HP XXXXXXXXXXXX

    System Type X86-based PC

    Processor x86 Family 6 Model 30 Stepping 5 GenuineIntel ~1595 Mhz

    Windows Directory C:\WINDOWS

    System Directory C:\WINDOWS\system32

    Locale United States

    User Name XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

    Time Zone Eastern Daylight Time

    Total Physical Memory 4,096.00 MB

    Total Virtual Memory 2.00 GB

    Page File Space 4.77 GB

    Page File C:\pagefile.sys

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