Closing All Open Workbooks

Summary: Excel provides a handy (but little-known) shortcut for closing all the workbooks you have open. This tip explains how easy it is to use this shortcut. (This tip works with Microsoft Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, and Excel 2003.)

You already know that you can close an open workbook using any number of methods. What if you have a bunch of open workbooks and you want to close them all, however? You can do this in one swift action by holding down the Shift key as you display the File menu. Notice that when you do, there is a Close All option on the menu. Choose this, and all your workbooks are closed. You will, of course, be prompted to save changes on each open workbook, if necessary.

Note that this only works if you hold down the Shift key when displaying the File menu. If you don't, then Close All does not appear.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (3065) applies to Microsoft Excel versions: 97 | 2000 | 2002 | 2003

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Closing All Open Workbooks