excel skips to another workbook for no apparent reason

I'm having the exact same problems as everyone else. It has been almost exactly 2 years since the original post, and still no useful response from Microsoft. This has happened to me in both the 2013 and 2016 versions of excel, at different workplaces, on different computers. Unfortunately, I can't just minimize or close my other excel instances. I have noticed that it does not matter if I have several workbooks open in the same instance, or if I use Alt+excel to open a brand new instance. It will still skip to the other workbook. This is very frustrating, and like everyone else, makes me want to throw my computer against the wall (which would get me fired, I assume).

Try running Excel with no addons.  For me it was an addon installed by Thomson One but other addons could cause this as well.  Since I've uninstalled the addon and taken steps to make sure the other program doesn't re-install it I've been fine.

Microsoft suck!!!

This happens all day long, and not just to me, to everyone I know who uses excel a lot. We are all not running any addons!!!! Microsoft all say that each excel worksheet is opening in is own independent of other worksheet but that is a lie this bug always goes back to the first worksheet opened while i am entering into another worksheet.  All of a sudden nothing is happening and i press enter and it jumps back into the first worksheet.

The has been happening for years and Microsoft heavy users are pissed off!!!! it is not worth the money.

I have uninstalled, reinstalled, turn off the world, check updates for years and no change.  

There is a Bug fix it!!!!!!! and stop blaming it on ghosts, everyone is tired of this crap

the only reason i use excel is because its industry wide dominance, if i could i would go back to a earlier verson

this change came out about the same time some moron tried to get rid of the desktop with the start menu - window 8 desater

Try running Excel with no addons.  For me it was an addon installed by Thomson One but other addons could cause this as well.  Since I've uninstalled the addon and taken steps to make sure the other program doesn't re-install it I've been fine.

Doesn't matter. Have run Excel with and without addons and the problem has still occurred. Short of starting Excel in safe mode every time I use the software (which is absurd), I'm out of options. This is a problem that's been going on for year and that Microsoft has clearly ignored.

Agreed! Ridiculous and frustrating. No reasonable fix has been offered to date.