Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated March 12, 2022)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Excel in Microsoft 365, and 2021
David has a large worksheet that he needs to view in three different windows and have them scroll all at the same time. He knows how to use "view side by side" and turn on synchronous scrolling, but it seems to only work for two windows. David wonders if there is a way to do it for three.
There is no way to do synchronous scrolling in Excel with more than two windows. Depending on your needs (and the nature of your data) you may be able to get around this by creatively splitting windows, such that you end up with two actual windows, but one of them is split to show two different parts of the same worksheet.
If that doesn't fit your needs, the only thing you can do is to simulate the synchronicity between windows. This must be done with a macro, similar to the following:
Sub SynchSheets() ' Duplicates the active sheet's cell position in each sheet If TypeName(ActiveSheet) <> "Worksheet" Then Exit Sub Dim shUser As Worksheet Dim sht As Worksheet Dim lTopRow As Long Dim lLeftCol As Long Dim sAddr As String Application.ScreenUpdating = False ' Note the current sheet Set shUser = ActiveSheet ' take information from current sheet With ActiveWindow lTopRow = .ScrollRow lLeftCol = .ScrollColumn sAddr = .RangeSelection.Address End With ' loop through worksheets For Each sht In ActiveWorkbook.Worksheets If sht.Visible Then 'skip hidden sheets sht.Activate Range(sAddr).Select ActiveWindow.ScrollRow = lTopRow ActiveWindow.ScrollColumn = lLeftCol End If Next sht shUser.Activate Application.ScreenUpdating = True End Sub
This macro essentially steps through each worksheet in the workbook and makes the same cell active and visible in each worksheet. If you start with your worksheets displayed on the screen, then the macro will "synchronize" what you see in each worksheet so that it is the same.
Note:
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (9777) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Excel in Microsoft 365, and 2021.
Excel Smarts for Beginners! Featuring the friendly and trusted For Dummies style, this popular guide shows beginners how to get up and running with Excel while also helping more experienced users get comfortable with the newest features. Check out Excel 2013 For Dummies today!
When you use the mouse wheel, the normal behavior is to scroll vertically through your worksheet. If the mouse wheel ...
Discover MoreWant to provide a bit of contact information in a workbook? A great place to do it (out of sight, but not inaccessible) ...
Discover MoreExcel allows you to define the data in a worksheet as a table. Doing so can provide some clear benefits over simply ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)
Got a version of Excel that uses the ribbon interface (Excel 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the menu interface.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2024 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments