Excel Split Screen: see two parts of a sheet (or two files) at once

Split one sheet into panes

1. Click the cell where the split should go — the split lands above and to the left of it.
2. View › Split.

Each pane scrolls on its own, so you can compare row 5 with row 500.

• Click a cell in column A → horizontal split only.
• Click a cell in row 1 → vertical split only.
• Drag the grey bar to move it. Double-click it or click Split again to remove.

Split vs Freeze Panes

Split gives two scrollable areas. Freeze keeps headers fixed while the rest scrolls — see freeze panes. You can’t use both at once.

Two sheets of the same file side by side

1. View › New Window. A second window of the same file opens.
2. View › Arrange All › Vertical › OK.
3. Pick a different sheet in each window.

Two different workbooks

Open both, then View › View Side by Side. Turn on Synchronous Scrolling to scroll them together.

Two monitors

Drag each window to its own screen. If Excel opens both files in one window, use New Window first.