How to Open Two Excel Files Separately in Different Windows (5 Methods)

Method 1 – Use Shift Key and Taskbar

• Open the first Excel file (e.g., Data-1).

• Press the Shift key and click the Excel icon on the taskbar.

• A new workbook (Book1) will open in a new window.

• From the newly opened workbook (Book 1), go to File > Open > Browse and choose the second file (Data-2).

• Click on Open.

• Both Excel files (Data-1 and Data-2) will now be open in separate windows.

Read More: How to Open Excel Files in Separate Windows by Default

Method 2 – Right-Click

• Open an Excel file in advance (e.g., Data-1).
• Right-click the Excel icon on the taskbar and select Excel.

• A new Excel workbook will be created.
• From the new workbook, go to File > Open > Browse and open the second Excel file.

• Both files will be opened separately.

Method 3 – Start Menu Approach

• Open an Excel file.
• Click the Start menu and type excel in the search box.
• Click the Excel app to create a new workbook in a separate window.

• The new Excel workbook will be created in a separate window.

• From the newly opened workbook, go to File > Open > Browse and open another file separately.

Method 4 – Create a Shortcut

• Locate the EXCEL.EXE file (different paths for different Excel versions). Such as:

For Excel 2010: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office 14

For Excel 2007: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office12

If you are using Windows 10, follow the path below to get the EXCEL.EXE file.

For Windows 10: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office12/14

• Right-click on it and select Create Shortcut.

• The shortcut will appear on your desktop.

• Double-click the shortcut to open workbooks in separate windows.

Method 5 – Open Two Separate Excel Files Using ‘Send to’ Menu

• Create an Excel Shortcut (Method 4):
  • Create an Excel shortcut using Method 4 (as described earlier).
  • Copy the shortcut.

• Navigate to the SendTo Folder:
  • Go to the following path:

C:/Users/UserName/AppData/Roaming/Microsoft/Windows/SendTo

• • Paste the Excel shortcut icon into the SendTo folder.

• Open Excel Files Separately:
  • Right-click on any Excel file (e.g., Data-1) that you want to open in a different window.
  • Go to Send to > EXCEL – Shortcut.

  

• The Excel file will open in a separate window.
• Repeat the process to open another Excel file (e.g., Data-2) separately.

Read More: How to Open Multiple Excel Files in One Workbook

Things to Remember

• You can also view two Excel files side by side in separate windows using the View tab in Microsoft Excel.
• Starting from Excel 2013, you can open Excel files separately in different windows by default.

Download Practice Workbook

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Related Articles

• How to Open Two Excel Files Side by Side
• How to Open Multiple Excel Files in One Window

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