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How can I force Excel 2007 on Windows 7 to always open another instance of the application?

Freshabout 19 hours ago
Mar 15, 20268604 views
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Problem

I want to be able to compare to large spreadsheets side by side... Since you can not natively expand to all monitors I would like to have the two documents open in two instances. These files are links on Sharepoint.

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1 Fix

Canonical Fix
Unverified Fix
New Fix – Awaiting Verification

Open Multiple Instances of Excel 2007 on Windows 7

Low Risk

Excel 2007 on Windows 7 is designed to run in a single instance mode, which means that opening multiple files will open them in the same window. This limitation prevents users from easily comparing large spreadsheets side by side across multiple monitors.

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  1. 1

    Create a Shortcut for Excel

    Create a new shortcut for Excel that allows you to open a new instance of the application. Right-click on the desktop, select 'New' -> 'Shortcut'. In the location field, enter the following command to ensure it opens a new instance: 'C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office12\EXCEL.EXE' /x

    bash
    C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office12\EXCEL.EXE /x
  2. 2

    Open Excel Files from Shortcut

    Use the newly created shortcut to open your Excel files. Each time you want to open a new file for comparison, right-click the shortcut and select 'Open' or double-click it, then open the desired Excel file from within the application. This will ensure that each file opens in a separate instance.

  3. 3

    Adjust Display Settings

    Ensure your display settings are configured to extend the desktop across multiple monitors. Right-click on the desktop, select 'Screen Resolution', and choose 'Extend these displays'. This will allow you to drag the separate Excel instances to different monitors for side-by-side comparison.

  4. 4

    Open Files from SharePoint

    When you need to open files linked on SharePoint, copy the file link, paste it into the address bar of the browser, and download the file. Then, use the shortcut created in step 1 to open the downloaded file in a new instance of Excel.

Validation

To confirm the fix worked, open two Excel files using the shortcut created in step 1. Verify that each file opens in a separate window and can be moved to different monitors for side-by-side comparison.

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