Excel doesn't open window in size last closed

Anonymous
2013-04-03T14:19:47+00:00

In Excel 2007 when I opened a new sheet it opened in a window that was the same size and in same position as the last window I closed. In Excel 2013 every time each new sheet is opened in a small window positioned in the lower left quadrant. I open multiple windows a day and having to resize each one is very time consuming.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | For home | Windows

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Anonymous
2013-04-04T05:54:22+00:00

Hello Mike,

Welcome to Microsoft Community and thank you for posting the question.

Excel usually remembers the size and the position of the last opened Excel file.

Let’s re-size the Excel window and verify the result

  1. Open Excel and click on restore button which appears upper right corner of the screen between x(close) and _ (minimize) buttons.
  2. Now drag the double ended arrow which appears in the corner and re-size accordingly.
  3. You may also move it by dragging it by the title bar, now close and re-open Excel and verify the result.

Hope it helps. Reply with the result for further assistance.

Thank You.

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Anonymous
2014-06-08T01:29:20+00:00

I just switched to MS Office 2013 (forced to because of a new work laptop that had MS Office 2013 installed).

I had this issue (Excel file opening in a half window) with some, but not all of my existing files.

I was able to fix this for all of my windows that opened in a "half window", by clicking on "New Window" in the "View" tab, and then saving the workbook.    When I re-opened, the issue was gone.  I have no idea why this works, and it seems counter-intuitive to click "New Window" to get an existing window out of a "half-window" display.  All I know is that it fixed my problem files (about a dozen).  I hope this works for others as well.

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  1. Anonymous
    2013-08-02T14:41:30+00:00

    Daniel,

    Back in April I replied that your solution appeared to work but I was not precise. First, when you Restore the window you cannot resize it by dragging the upper corner. When you place the cursor there it does not become two-headed. I had to use the overlapping rectangle symbol to get it to go back to the size it was and then resize by dragging the edges to where I wanted it and saving.

    But, that only worked partially. The new sheet windows open up about 1/2" from the bottom of my screen and about the same from the left edge, and do not touch the top edge. The width is bigger, but not what I want. I have to drag the window to the left for it to snap to 1/2 the screen size and then save it. But even then, the next time I open it it's still not 1/2 screen size.

    I can live with what I have, but it is extremely annoying.

    This happens with Excel and Word. I'm running Office 2013.Thanks,

    Mike

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  2. Anonymous
    2013-08-03T20:33:21+00:00

    Hello Mike,

    Please upload screen shot describing Excel and Word problem for better assistance.

    Click on Add image > Browse and select the screen shot > and then click on Upload. 

    Thank You.

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  3. Anonymous
    2013-08-04T04:01:40+00:00

    Well, you know what happens when you get a Tech to look at your computer problem?

    The problem disappears.

    To answer your questions, however:

    1. Are you experiencing this issue in other Office/non-Office applications (Notepad or Internet Explorer)?

    I opened Notepad and IE changed their sizes, opened documents in them, closed the windows and reopened the programs and both reopened to the size they were when I closed them.

    1. Did you perform any customization in Excel?

    Not that I know of.

    I think what happened to cause the problem is that at some point my computer locked up or shut down with a document open...and then when it was recovered, Excel stopped remembering the last window size. I'm not positive that's when it started, but I think it was.

    Anyway....I tested to see if the problem was still happening, in preparation for following your instructions...and the problem has solved itself.

    I opened Excel...and it was back to opening the way it used to...that is, it opened with the top of the window at the top of my screen. (It had been opening a few pixels lower than that.)

    I opened an Excel document, resized the window, closed Excel and re-launched Excel and it opened at the size it was when I closed it. I resized it again, opened a document, resized the window, closed the document. Closed Excel and re-launched...at the size it was when I closed it.

    So, at the moment, the problem has disappeared. I also opened the document that I thought the problem might be associated with, if it was document-specific, and the old/problem behavior didn't happen; the window opened as it should.

    I'll keep your instructions in case the problem redevelops.

    Thanks for your help.

    Brian.

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