Just upgraded to office 2013 so an learning to deal with linked workbooks in separate windows. My problem is that if I have workbook B linked to workbook A and make a change to A while B is minimized, when I unminimize B it does not update. And the refresh button under the data tab does not work. And ctr alt f5 does not work.

I've never tried this, jread47, but here's my guess: Since you have them open in separate windows, they're in separate instances of Excel. If you had them both open in the same window, changes made to A would appear immediately in B. But since they're open in different instances of Excel, changes you make in A will not be visible to B until you save workbook A and then refresh B.

This is new with Excel 2013. All workbooks are in separate windows now. You have no choice.

I later found a way to recalculate. Clicking on a different spreadsheet tab on the bottom of the workbook and then back to the original tab causes it to refresh. But I decided to mostly just close the dependent book and reopen it when needed rather than minimize it.

We may be talking about two different things, but unless it's a misunderstanding I think I'm going to disagree. I think I can open workbooks in two different instances of Excel—I've seen it happen, though I forget how I (accidentally) did it—but normally they're all in the same window and I can get from one to the other by hitting <Ctrl-Tab> and <Ctrl-Shift-Tab>. Try this: Minimize all the windows on your screen except the Excel windows. I expect you'll see just one.

The various Excel workbooks do appear in separate tabs in the task bar, and I can use <Alt-Tab> and <Alt-Shift-Tab> to get from one to the other if I choose. But there's a checkbox in the Excel options, advanced, in the Display section, entitled "Show all windows in the Taskbar"—I turned it off a couple weeks ago so it's fresh in my mind—that eliminates even that. So now even my <Alt-Tab> shows only one Excel window, and I have to use <Ctrl-Tab> to get from one workbook to another within Excel. I keep a lot of windows open, so it means less clutter for me.

Thanks for your reply. I think we are miscommunicating. I know I can open files in two different windows. In 2013 you have to open them in two windows. I know about different instances of excel in 2010, but that is a different issue. I have two workbooks in 2013 by necessity in two windows. They link just fine unless the dependent sheet is minimized the reopened.

Well, I'm a little surprised but in the end I think we're not miscommunicating after all: You're saying that in old versions we can open two workbooks in separate windows but in 2010 we have to, and I'm saying that even in 2010 we can but we don't have to. So let's figure this out:

Start with our definition of "window", just in case. Here's my process; try to duplicate it at your end and tell me what happens:

1. Make sure Excel is shut down, no workbooks open.
2. Open a workbook; I don't care whether you do it by double clicking on an .xlsx document or by starting Excel and then using File, Open.
3. While you're still looking at this first Excel workbook, select File.
4. From the File menu select some option to open another workbook: Open, Recent or New.

At this point, on my machine, both workbooks are open in the same "window"; if I close all windows but Excel, there will be only one "window" displayed (see attachment xw1.png). When I hit <Alt-Tab>, the two workbooks are represented separately, just as if they were in separate windows (see attachment xw2.png); but they're not. <Win-Tab> displays it differently (see attachment xw3.png) but the same conditions apply.

But you say you always get worksheets in separate windows, and I don't understand how that's happening. Did you just mean "windows" as they appear using <Alt-Tab>? If not, what method do you normally use to open them? When you followed my process above, did the two still come out in separate "windows" (my definition)?

Attached Images

	xw1.jpg (104.2 KB, 11 views)
	xw2.png (290.7 KB, 11 views)
	xw3.jpg (106.7 KB, 11 views)

I am totally alien to 2013, but I seem to remember that if , in 2010, one wants to open sheets in different Excel sessions,under Excel Options - Advanced - General, one should check " Ignore other applications....(DDE)".
Maybe unchecking this in 2013 might help?

( I also may be totally beside the point...)

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I just twigged. I apologize, jread47; I read your posts, I promise I did, and you wrote "2013" at least twice...many times, I see now that I look more closely...but until Peco's post, all your "2013" repetitions went right over my head. Please forgive my carelessness. I have nothing useful to say about 2013.