How to view two Excel files side by side on a Mac

Open two workbooks, or two views of one, next to each other in Excel for Mac. The menu options, the macOS tiling shortcut, and keeping both in view all day.

Guide · Updated 13 October 2026

Open both workbooks, click one, and on macOS Sequoia and later press Fn ⌃ ←; click the other and press Fn ⌃ →. Each fills half the screen.

Two parts of the same workbook

  1. In the workbook, choose Window, New Window. Excel opens a second window of the same file; the title shows :1 and :2.
  2. Tile the two windows side by side as above.
  3. Pick a different sheet or scroll to a different part in each. Edits show in both, because it is one file.

Excel's own options

  • Window, Arrange (in versions that have it) tiles every open Excel window vertically or horizontally.
  • View, Freeze Panes keeps headers in view while you scroll, so a narrower window stays readable.
  • Zoom out (View, Zoom) shows more columns in a half width window.

Comparing all day

If you compare sheets for hours, keeping two halves lined up while other apps open on top gets tiring. On a ClutterFreeMac strip, each Excel window is a column; put the two side by side at half width each, and mail or chat sits in its own column beside them instead of covering them.

Questions

How do I view two Excel sheets side by side on a Mac?

Choose Window, New Window in the workbook, then tile the two windows with Fn ⌃ ← and Fn ⌃ → (macOS Sequoia and later), and pick a different sheet in each.

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