Fixed: Excel Opens in a Tiny Window

Issue: Excel Opens in a Tiny Window

Microsoft Excel is one of the best services to store and integrate data due to its flexibility and ease of use. However, such a powerful spreadsheet editor also faces many challenges. For example, in our previous articles, we discussed how to solve the error that Excel keeps closing without any warning and the error message “Microsoft Excel cannot access the file”.

In today’s post, we will talk about another Excel problem: Excel opens in a minimized window. Here is a real example:

My Windows 10 was updated last night. This morning I noticed all my Excel files open in a tiny window. Just the top and bottom bars are visible. I've tried everything I can think of to get it to start saving state when I close and reopen but nothing is making the window re-open at the last size used. Any ideas?windowsphoneinfo.com

Now, try the following solutions to get this issue resolved.

How to Stop Excel From Opening Minimized Documents

Way 1. Check the Last Saved Excel Window Size

If Excel opens in a minimized window, you should first recall what the window size was when you closed Excel last time. Excel defaults to opening newly opened files to the size you were working on previously.

You can click the Maximize button in the upper right corner to make the Excel window full-screen, then save and close the current Excel file. After that, the Excel file you reopen should open in full-screen mode as well.

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Way 2. Resize the Excel Window Manually

If after the above operations, Excel still opens in a tiny window, you can try the steps below.

Step 1. Close all open Excel windows.

Step 2. Reopen an Excel file and use your mouse to drag the window to the size you desire. Do not click the Maximize button in the upper right corner of the screen.

Step 3. On your keyboard, hold down the Shift key and right-click the Excel icon in the Windows taskbar. Then select the Maximize option from the small window that appears.

Step 4. Close the current Excel file. The newly opened Excel spreadsheets should be opened in a maximized window.

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Way 3. Disable All Add-Ins

Some Excel add-ins can conflict with your Excel program, interfering with the size of the window Excel opens. In this case, you need to disable Excel add-ins one by one to eliminate this cause.

Step 1. Open an Excel file.

Step 2. Click File > Options > Add-ins. Select the COM Add-ins for the Manage option. Then click the Go button.

Step 3. In the new window, uncheck all available add-ins and then click the OK button.

Step 4. Reopen an Excel file and maximize the window. After that, close and reopen the Excel file and check if the issue has been resolved.

See Also: Excel Document Not Saved? Here’s What You Can Do

Way 4. Uninstall Recent Windows Updates

Many users claimed that the “Excel opens in a tiny window” problem occurs after installing Windows updates. Although Windows updates generally add new features and resolve problems reported by users, they may also introduce new problems. In this case, you can try to uninstall the latest updates and check if the issue has been fixed.

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Wrapping Things Up

In a word, this article explains how to stop Excel from opening minimized documents when opening a new document.

Hope the approaches mentioned above are beneficial to you. Besides, if you have the demand for computer hard drive data recovery, try MiniTool Power Data Recovery Free.

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Should you have any questions, please send an email to [email protected].