Working With Multiple Workbooks

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated February 11, 2023)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


When you are using Excel, you are not limited to working with a single workbook. You can open as many workbooks as you like, and Excel keeps track of them individually. You can then switch between workbooks by using the Windows menu.

If you have a single workbook open and you choose the Windows menu, you will notice the workbook name at the bottom of the menu. If you have multiple workbooks open, each workbook name is listed at the bottom of the menu and the currently active workbook is indicated by a checkmark to the left of the workbook name. To work with a different workbook, simply select the desired workbook from the menu.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (1987) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Dragging to Clear Cells

If you want to get rid of the contents of a range of cells, a quick way to do it is with the Fill handle. Yes, you can ...

Discover More

Printing Multiple Worksheet Ranges

Need to print more than one portion of your worksheet? If you use named ranges for the different ranges you want to ...

Discover More

Finding the Nth Occurrence of a Character

The FIND and SEARCH functions are great for finding the initial occurrence of a character in a text string, but what if ...

Discover More

Program Successfully in Excel! John Walkenbach's name is synonymous with excellence in deciphering complex technical topics. With this comprehensive guide, "Mr. Spreadsheet" shows how to maximize your Excel experience using professional spreadsheet application development tips from his own personal bookshelf. Check out Excel 2013 Power Programming with VBA today!

More ExcelTips (menu)

Accessing a Problem Shared Workbook

What are you to do is you share a workbook with others, and then suddenly the workbook won't open properly? Dealing with ...

Discover More

Hanging When Opening a Workbook

If you are opening a workbook and Excel seems to hang without ever fully loading, it could be due to a number of ...

Discover More

Duplicate Workbooks Opening

If you ever open a workbook and always see two workbooks instead of one, chances are good the reason is because of the ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 7 - 7?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


This Site

Got a version of Excel that uses the menu interface (Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, or Excel 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.