Chapter 3: Performing Basic Worksheet Operations
3
FIGURE 3.1
Use the Arrange Windows dialog box to arrange all open nonminimized workbook windows
quickly.
Switching among windows
At any given time, one (and only one) workbook window is the active window. The active
window accepts your input, and it is the window on which your commands work. The active
window appears at the top of the stack of windows. To work in a workbook in a different
window, you need to make that window active. You can make a different window the active
window in several ways.
■ (^) Click another window if it’s visible. The window you click moves to the top and
becomes the active window. This method isn’t possible if the current window is
maximized.
■ (^) Press Ctrl+Tab to cycle through all open windows until the window that you
want to work with appears on top as the active window. Pressing Shift+Ctrl+Tab
cycles through the windows in the opposite direction.
■ (^) Choose View ➪ Window ➪ Switch Windows, and select the window that you
want from the drop-down list (the active window has a check mark next to it).
This menu can display as many as nine windows. If you have more than nine work-
book windows open, choose More Windows (which appears below the nine window
names).
■ (^) Click the corresponding Excel icon in the Windows taskbar.
You might be one of the many people who prefer to do most work with maximized work-
book windows, which enables you to see more cells and eliminates the distraction of other
workbook windows getting in the way. At times, however, viewing multiple windows is pre-
ferred. For example, displaying two windows is more efficient if you need to compare infor-
mation in two workbooks or if you need to copy data from one workbook to another.