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(Solved) - Multiple instance of Excel when opening multiple Excel attachments in Outlook
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You have to have the person who sends it create them as different sheets in the same file. Excel does not work like a tabbed browser. Each excel file is a separate entity that can be made up of multiple sheets. As an alternative you can put them all in one file by copying and pasting them or inserting them into one file.
Googled "Prevent multiple instances of Excel 2007" and get lots of results.
All files opening in same instance should be default. Upgrading from previous version of Office to 2007 may leave things in the registry that cause files to open in separate instances. By chance is one of your Office 2007 a clean install and one an upgrade?
From one of the forums on the web could also check:
Excel Options, Advanced, Display, Show all windows in the Taskbar - untick
(if that's not it, untick "Ignore other applications..." under General)
Double click the main Office icon to close Excel and all files (might
trigger save prompts first).
The only way I have gotten this to work is to save each attachment and then open up each excel for one file and open another instance of excel for the other file...You can go under advanced options and check the Ignore all other applications (DDE) check box and it will open attachments separately as well but - sometimes for me it doesn't always open the worksheet...
volcy, if I'm reading these posts correctly I believe the OP is trying to achive the opposite of what you are referring to and is wanting everything to open in the same instance of Excel, which should actually be the default for Excel. Not saying your post is not relevant because it is, if that's what it takes to get more than one instance then we're definitely in the same ball park as to what should be required to prevent more than one instance.
campbellmarilyn, this should have been asked earlier, but, how do you know that separate instances of Excel are happening? Is Excel showing more than once in Task Manager? or is it the number of Excel windows showing on the Task Bar?
I notice if I leave my settings default (having DDE unchecked) my attachments open in one Excel instance. I notice that on the taskbar(with Aero on) if I hover over the Excel Icon - I can see all the current worksheets open. I can also see that each worksheet can be minimized. Is this what we are talking about?
Edit- I just did a quick test and opened two attachents from an email. It opened one instance of Excel and I can resize both worksheets side by side. You should be able to see in the top rick two minize, maximize and, close buttons. The very top one is for the program itself and the one below is for the attachments. Just click the maximize button and it will most likely shrink making it reziable hovering on the corners...hope this makes sense or helps.
volcy - I'm in total agreement with what you have and see. With my setup of Excel 2010, if I open 3 different workbooks I get 3 separate icon windows showing on the Task Bar even tho there is only one instance of Excel running. I wonder if this is not what the OP has? Checking the applications running with Task Manager would let you know for sure how many instances there are.
Don't know if it matters but I'm using Excel 2007 and not 2010. Regardless of DDE settings, multiple copies of Excel open - one for each Outlook 2007 email attachment. The installment of Excel 2007 was an upgrade so registry might be an issue but I do not know what to edit. I'll try a repair installation and then a clean install if needed. nosparks asked how I know multiple copies of Excel are opened. I cannot view the documents side by side because they are in different copies of Excel.
campbellmarilyn, - please open the multiple copies of your Outlook email Excel attachments that you would like to view side by side. With them still open, right click the mouse on the task bar at the bottom of your screen, click on "Start Task Manager", click on the Applications tab and post back how many times "Microsoft Excel" shows and how many times the workbooknames.xlsx (without a preceding Microsoft Excel) appear.
Sorry campbellmarilyn I'm not able to help sort this out for you. The dde thing not working pretty much limits the problem to the registry as far as I can see. Perhaps removing all office installation(s) with MS fix it and reinstalling will tune it up. Sure hope so and please let us know.
