Is there a way to restore the old Multiple Document Interface (MDI) to Excel 2013?
i.e. when multiple Excel files are open, there is only one instance of Excel in the Windows taskbar.
Some reading tells me this has been removed, but I hope there is a setting somewhere to restore that.
Background
On versions of Excel prior to 2013, they used what is called a Multiple Document Interface i.e. one open copy of Excel would "contain" multiple documents. Therefore we would "normally" see a single copy of Excel in the Windows Task Bar even if multiple documents were open.
At some point, Excel provided the setting to show these multiple documents separately on the Windows task bar, however this was not the default setting. In this case (if I recall correctly), Excel would then switch to a Single Document Interface, where one Excel window would only contain a single document.
This functionality is completely separate from the operating system setting that allows you to Group Similar Windows together on the Windows task bar.
Now, Excel 2013 seems to have removed the option to have a Multiple Document Interface. By default it presents the Single Document Interface i.e. when multiple documents are open, the Windows task bar displays them all separately, rather than combined.
I would like to know if any of us Super Users know of an advanced setting somewhere in Excel 2013 that reverts back to the earlier Multiple Document Interface situation.
A post on Lifeahacker or a media site would not necessarily know the full advanced feature set of the suite – however that is exactly what this site is so good at (or perhaps, "excels" at).
Best Answer
On this page http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/office/dn251093(v=office.15).aspx there is a note that says
Note:
There is no MDI compatibility option in Excel 2013.