Open a new Excel Instance
You may have experienced an issue where the Wizard prevents you from working in other Excel workbooks. Anytime a dialog box, such as a ‘Processing’ message or the ‘Login form’, is open, all other Excel workbooks (in the same Excel Instance) cannot be used. This design deliberately prevents users from accidentally aborting upload sessions by clicking in other areas of the same worksheet.
Opening Wizards in their own Excel Instances will allow you to continue working in other Excel files while the Wizard is processing.
In Excel, the default action when opening a file is to open the workbook within the existing Excel Instance. Our preferred techniques for opening a new Excel Instance are:
Windows 10
Excel.exe /x (Excel dot exe space slash x)
· Go to Windows Start/Search.
· Type "Excel.exe /x" and hit the Enter key or click the ’Run Command’.
· Excel will open to Book1.
· Click ‘File Open’ and browse to open the Wizard.
o Tip: the Wizard is often in your Recent Items list.
Windows 10 and Windows 11
Taskbar method
· Right-click the Excel icon on your task bar.
· Press and hold “Alt” and select 'Excel' – usually the 3rd last option in the list.
· A dialog box should appear with the message “Do you want to start a new instance of Excel?”
o Tip: this dialog box may open on another screen.
· Click ‘Yes’ and Excel will open on Book1.
· Click ‘File Open’ and browse to open the Wizard.
o Tip: the Wizard is often in your Recent Items list.
Start Menu method
· Click the Start icon.
· Press and hold “Alt” and select the Excel icon.
· A dialog box should appear with the message “Do you want to start a new instance of Excel?”
· Click ‘Yes’ and Excel will open on Book1.
· Click ‘File Open’ and browse to open the Wizard.
o Tip: the Wizard is often in your Recent Items list.
Excel Shortcut method
· Create a shortcut to Excel.
· Right click on the short-cut and click Properties.
· Under the 'Shortcut' tab, add /x to the target. e.g. "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office 15\root\office15\EXCEL.EXE" /x
