Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated July 1, 2025)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021
Betty often has to transfer information between two worksheets, so she makes a lot of use of View Side By Side. Given that her worksheets are not similar in layout, synchronous scrolling is an irritant to Betty. She wonders if there is any way to set the default so that synchronous scrolling is off rather than on.
When you use View Side By Side, the default is that synchronous scrolling is turned on. (The View Side By Side tool is available on the View tab of the ribbon, in the Window group.) You can turn it off, on a case-by-case basis, by simply displaying the View tab of the ribbon and then clicking the Synchronous Scrolling tool in the Window group.
If you want to make this setting (synchronous scrolling turned off) for the two worksheets, click the Save Workspace tool and save your workspace. When you later load the workspace, the two worksheets will still be side-by-side and the synchronous scrolling will be turned off. This approach will only work in Excel 2007 and Excel 2010, though; workspace support was unceremoniously dropped from Excel 2013.
Another option is to forego View Side By Side entirely and just arrange the worksheet windows so that both are visible on the screen at once. You can do this by making sure both workbooks are open, displaying the View tab of the ribbon, and clicking Arrange All. Regardless of which arrangement option you then choose (Horizontal or Vertical being the most common), synchronous scrolling will not be turned on.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (9361) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021.
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