Frequently I use Microsoft Excel to render records of various projects. Having a multiple monitor computer definitely helps. Often times I'll compare two Excel spreadsheets side by side so that I can stay on top of things row to row. Using dual computer monitors, I'll put a spreadsheet on each computer monitor.
At first, I couldn't get the spreadsheets to display seperately, on serperate screens, eventhough they appeared as seperate windows in my taskbar. It took me a little while but after a few minutes, I found how to command Excel to open each document as a seperate window or instance of the Excel application.
There are several different ways you can view Excel in a multi-screen format. You can start by having the Excel program open on one display, and the documents you are comparing on another display.
Maximize Excel to spread across multiple monitors. This application would work well if you had a very large spreadsheet that is hard to view on a single monitor. Stretching the spreadsheet across dual screen monitors will help you see the whole spreadsheet without having to toggle back and forth.
Automatically position and maximize each speadsheet in its own display.
If you have two documents open simultaneously on Excel, click the "Window" button and the "Compare Side By Side" should automatically appear. This will automatically position each spreadsheet in its own display. This particular trick only works for two documents though.
Now for the real glory booster,
all you need to do is open each Excel document in it's own window seperately. This way you can utilize your multi monitor setup to it's fullest capabilities. To do this simply hold the "Shift" button down when you click on the Excel Shortcut and it will open independently of any other Excel windows previously opened.
With multiple monitor computing growing increasingly more popular, the need for multi monitor software is decreasing. This makes it so much easier for the average Joe to go get a dual monitor video card or simply a dual monitor adapter and start increasing their over all worth instantly.
For help setting up dual monitors click here. To learn about Microsoft Vista & Multiple Monitors check this entry.
