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Is there any way to force Excel 2013 to open files within the same window instance?

I am extremely disappointed that Microsoft is forcing it's users to open multiple instances for every workbook they open. Why on earth would they take away this feature?

This is not making us more productive. Why don't we just start opening a new browser instance every time we visit another website?

I'm constantly opening CSV files throughout the day. I would prefer to have this consolidated to a single instance of excel and the option to drag a tab away from the window when I need a new instance. Microsoft please fix this!

Anyhow, if anyone knows of a hack to work around this I'd like to know.

Thanks in advance!

EnergyGeek
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    I feel that working with excel does count as a tool used for programming. Many of us use it for VBA scripts and when handling CSV files. I'd appreciate your reconsideration to reopen the topic. – EnergyGeek Jul 10 '14 at 20:53

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Apparently, according to Microsoft, this is done by design. They are so excited by this feature that they have even created this blog article to show it off and explain why it's so great.

Unfortunately, there's no way easy or free way to achieve what you want, at least I'm not aware of one.

However, there's a website called "Extend Office" (I have no affiliation with them what-so-ever) that sells various Excel add-ins. One of the add-ins is called Office Tab, which seems to be able to do what you want. There's a trial version for 30 days after which you need to buy. Up to you if you want to go for it or not, I merely point out its existence and I'm in no way endorsing or discouraging it (I've not even tried it!).

djikay
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  • I guess I'll pay the $25 to get rid of this annoying mess on my desktop. I understand the need for SDI but it seems that Microsoft has thrown the baby out with the bath water. I'll give this a try then report back. – EnergyGeek Jul 10 '14 at 17:29
  • You can try it for 30 days for free apparently, so it's worth checking even if you later decide not to spend the money. – djikay Jul 10 '14 at 17:32