MS PROJECT PROFESSIONAL 2021 - Opening 2 separate files

Hi James,

Good day and thank you for the clear description of your requirement.

Based on my research, Microsoft Project Professional 2021 can open multiple .MPP files, but they are designed to run within a single Project application instance rather than as completely separate application windows like Microsoft Excel or Word. Because of this design, it is generally not possible to place two fully independent Project windows on separate monitors at the same time. If having truly separate windows on different monitors would be beneficial for your workflow, you may wish to submit this suggestion through the Microsoft Feedback Portal so that the product team can review customer demand for this functionality. You can submit feedback here: Project Feedback. Sharing experiences like this can be valuable for the product team when they evaluate future improvements.

Just a quick note as well: this is a user‑to‑user support forum. Moderators here, including myself, are regular users too and don’t have the ability to change or influence Microsoft product features or design decisions. What we can do is share findings, observed behaviors, and practical tips based on experience and available information.  

Once you've submitted your feedback, feel free to share the link here in the comments. I’ll be happy to upvote it to help bring more visibility.

Additionally, since many other users have raised similar concerns but may not be aware of where to submit product feedback, if my response has helped clarify the situation and pointed you toward a possible next step, please consider upvoting it. Doing so can help make this discussion more visible to others in the community who may be experiencing the same issue and are looking for guidance or a way to support similar feedback.

I hope this information is helpful. Please feel free to share any additional details if you need further assistance.

Thank you again for your time and for raising this important usability concern.

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james soyejima,

What exactly do you mean by "separate screens"? Are you talking about two separate monitors or do you simply mean two window views on a single PC screen?

Lia V is correct in that Project is a single instance application unlike other Office apps. It's been that way since day one and I suspect it will remain that way since many users have requested Project be configured for multi-instance operation but that has never happened.

You can however open two separate Project files and then use, View > Window group > Arrange All or Switch Window to show a view from either or both files, like this:

Or for multi-monitor operation, you might find this thread useful:

https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/discussions/project/opening-and-viewing-option-for-two-ms-project-files-simultaneously-on-two-screen/2965954

John