Fixing Annoying Word/Excel Windows Problem

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around a recurring issue with Microsoft Word and Excel where minimizing one file causes another file window to pop back up, leading to user frustration. Participants explore potential fixes and workarounds for this behavior, which has persisted across different versions of Windows.

Discussion Character

  • Technical explanation, Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses annoyance with the behavior of minimized Word and Excel files reappearing when opening new files, seeking a solution.
  • Another participant inquires about the versions of the software being used, indicating that the issue may vary with different versions.
  • A participant mentions experiencing the issue on Windows 10 and notes that it has been a problem for several years.
  • One participant suggests that the issue might be related to shared variables of DLLs and proposes a workaround involving minimizing instances while working on others, although they caution against trying this with important files.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on a solution, and multiple viewpoints regarding the cause and potential fixes remain present.

Contextual Notes

The discussion lacks specific details on the versions of Word and Excel being used, as well as the exact nature of the DLL interactions mentioned. There is also no resolution to the proposed workaround's effectiveness or safety.

berkeman
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This has bugged me for a while, so I finally was trying to figure out how to disable this "feature" today. But Microsoft Help and Google haven't led to any fixes yet.

If I have a Word file open and minimize it, and then open another Word file, the first file window also pops back up and ends up on-screen behind the new Word file window. The same thing happens with Excel files.

Does anybody know how to keep that from happening? It's really annoying; I have the first file window minimized for a reason -- I'm not working on that file currently but will get back to it soon enough that I don't want to close out that window.

Thanks for any tips. :smile:
 
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Versions?
 
pbuk said:
Versions?
Oh, good point. It's happening to me in Win10, but I don't remember if this happened with any older versions. It seems like it's been an annoyance for several years now...
 
Overall, it sounds like they are sharing some variables of DLLs that they shouldn't be. I have a browser that behaves in a somewhat similar fashion.

Just for proof-of-concept:
DON'T TRY THE FOLLOWING WITH ANYTHING IMPORTANT.
A clumsy work-around would be; with both instances open, see if one can be minimized while working on the other instance; check if it works both ways, and also for Saving and Opening without corruption.

Cheers,
Tom
 

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