Office Settings & Configuration

How to Prevent Minimized Excel or Word Documents from Expanding

Bushra Parveen Sep 28, 2026 870 views

Question details

The user wants to stop minimized Excel or Word windows from automatically restoring or expanding when a new document is opened.

How to Prevent Minimized Excel or Word Documents from Expanding

Product: Microsoft Excel and Word
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Opening a new document while another document is currently minimized in the background.
Observed behavior: The minimized document window automatically maximizes or expands alongside the newly opened document, disrupting the user's workspace.

Before you start

Ensure your current work is saved before testing new window behaviors. Keep in mind that running multiple separate instances of Office applications may consume slightly more system memory.

Solution 1Recommended

Open Documents in Separate Application Instances

Forcing Excel or Word to open in a completely separate application instance prevents the new window from interacting with the minimized ones.

By default, Microsoft Office often groups documents under a single background process. When you open a new file, it wakes up the entire process, which restores all minimized windows. Opening a new instance bypasses this behavior.

Minimize the first document

Open your first Excel workbook or Word document and minimize the window to the taskbar as you normally would.

Hold the ALT key

Press and hold the 'ALT' key on your keyboard. Do not release it until instructed.

Right-click the taskbar icon

While holding the ALT key, right-click the Excel or Word icon on your Windows taskbar, then left-click the application name (e.g., 'Excel') from the pop-up menu.

Confirm the new instance prompt

Continue holding the ALT key until a prompt appears on your screen asking, 'Do you want to start a new instance of this application?'. Click 'Yes'.

Open the second document

A completely blank, separate Excel or Word window will open. Go to 'File' > 'Open' within this new window to load your second document without expanding the minimized one.

Submit Feedback for a Permanent Fix: This is a known Microsoft Office behavior rather than a bug. Submitting feedback directly to Microsoft via 'File > Feedback' is recommended to request a permanent settings toggle.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why do minimized Excel windows expand when I open a new file?

This occurs because Microsoft Office often opens new files within the same active application process. When the system calls that process to display the new file, it restores the entire application window state, which includes previously minimized documents.

Can I permanently disable this auto-expand behavior in MS Office?

Currently, Microsoft Office does not have a native settings toggle in the Options menu to permanently disable this behavior. Utilizing the 'separate instance' workaround using the ALT key is the most reliable method available.

Is there a way to open a new instance without holding the ALT key?

Yes. You can open the Windows Start menu, search for Excel or Word, and click the application icon to open a fresh instance. From there, use the 'File > Open' menu to browse for and load your second document.

Does this window expanding issue happen with all Office programs?

It is most commonly reported in Microsoft Excel and Word due to how they manage the Single Document Interface (SDI). However, the exact behavior can vary depending on which version of Microsoft Office or Microsoft 365 you are currently using.

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