Multiple instances of Excel

[Guest]

How do I configure Excel to open multiple files in multiple instances? There
has to be an easier way than opening Excel multiple times and THEN opening
your files.

If you are exploring a folder and you click on a Word doc, then click on
another Word Doc, they open in separate instances. However, when I open a
second Excel sheet this same way, they appear as if they are separate
instances in the taskbar, but are truly the same instance.

I know I really need to simply remember to "Close" instead of "Exit", but
there has to be a way to configure this...

Please help!

 

[Doug Kanter]

How do I configure Excel to open multiple files in multiple instances?
There
has to be an easier way than opening Excel multiple times and THEN opening
your files.

If you are exploring a folder and you click on a Word doc, then click on
another Word Doc, they open in separate instances. However, when I open a
second Excel sheet this same way, they appear as if they are separate
instances in the taskbar, but are truly the same instance.

I know I really need to simply remember to "Close" instead of "Exit", but
there has to be a way to configure this...

Please help!

Multiple instances would eat up all your memory pretty quickly. What you
really want is multiple separate windows. Do this:

Tools, Options, click the View tab, and check the "Windows in Taskbar"
setting.

The wording of the option doesn't make it very clear as to what it does.

 

[Guest]

Options allows you to set a folder location to open all files int set location


Tools > Options > General :

 

[Guest]

I already have that checked. When I have multiple files open they all show
separately in the Task Bar. But it's still close one, close all.

Do you know how to do multiple instances? Or even however it works in Word?
I have plenty of memory - I'm not worried about that.

 

[Doug Kanter]

Carol, you're saying that if you close one file, they all close? I'm using
Excel 2000, and with the aforementioned option checked, I can close one file
at a time. If Excel behaved otherwise, it would be a major design flaw.

Are you clicking on the little X in the top right corner to close your
files? If so, take a closer look. Excel, the program, has its own X at far
right end of the title bar, which shuts down the whole program when clicked.
Then, each sheet also has a set of identical buttons for Maximize, Minimize
and Close (the X). It's the second set of buttons you need to be looking at
in order to make something happen with just that file.

If I'm off base with this guess, please describe exactly what you're doing
when you try to close just one file. Which keystrokes or mouse actions?

-Doug

 

[Guest]

Oh I know I'm doing "Exit", the big red "X", "Alt+F4". And that closes Excel
and all open sheets. I know I should use "Close", the little "x", "Ctrl+F4".

However, I use Word more that I use Excel and it doesn't matter if I use
"Alt+F4", it still only closes one document and leaves the rest alone and if
there aren't any others it Exits out of Word as well. I was just hoping to
get Excel to perform the same way.

 

[Doug Kanter]

Oh I know I'm doing "Exit", the big red "X", "Alt+F4". And that closes
Excel
and all open sheets. I know I should use "Close", the little "x",
"Ctrl+F4".

ALT-F, C. Mouse bad. Keyboard good.

However, I use Word more that I use Excel and it doesn't matter if I use
"Alt+F4", it still only closes one document and leaves the rest alone and
if
there aren't any others it Exits out of Word as well. I was just hoping
to
get Excel to perform the same way.

ALT-F, C.


That's one of the rare inconsistences between Excel & Word. I suspect there
was (and still is) much bickering about it between the programming teams
around the Jolt Cola machine at Microsoft.

 

[Guest]

Mouse bad. Keyboard Good!! :] No one here at work knows keyboard shortcuts
but me!! Must be left over from my unix and VI days ;]

I've noticed that things in the microsoft world aren't always consistent.
damn them. Guess I'll have to start paying more attention when I close
things.

Thanks for the help.

- Carol

 

[Doug Kanter]

MS has a few user-related issues, but it could always be worse. Much worse.
Firefox/Mozilla products are nice, but gawd....there are some design
screwups that should be used as warnings in computer science classes. And,
there's a bunch of people who've made it their life's goal to defend these
disasters. Open Sauce programming at its worst.

Mouse bad. Keyboard Good!! :] No one here at work knows keyboard
shortcuts
but me!! Must be left over from my unix and VI days ;]

I've noticed that things in the microsoft world aren't always consistent.
damn them. Guess I'll have to start paying more attention when I close
things.

Thanks for the help.

- Carol

ALT-F, C. Mouse bad. Keyboard good.




ALT-F, C.


That's one of the rare inconsistences between Excel & Word. I suspect
there
was (and still is) much bickering about it between the programming teams
around the Jolt Cola machine at Microsoft.

 

[Guest]

Someone else answered this in another thread, and it was the answer I wanted.
The original reply came from (e-mail address removed) in case he wants credit.
I'm going to use this for PowerPoint, too.

-John Weglian


The answer involves changing the file association stuff in windows. Go
to explorer, choose tools, then folder options. Click the File Types
tab. Scroll down to the XLS extension. Click the Advanced button.
Choose "open", then click the edit button.

At the end of the "Application used" entry, you'll probably see: /e
After this, add: "%1" (be sure to include the quotes [and a space
between the e and the first "].)

Then uncheck the "Use DDE" checkbox. Then click OK. (Windows re-checks
it at some point for some reason, but it still works)

OK your way out of the file types dialog.

Now when you double-click a spreadsheet, it will open it in a new
instance of Excel.

Hope it helps!

Dave