Multiple instances opening

[Thehub]

I'm using Excel from Office 365 and am having an issue that I don't remember having in previous version. This is the issue: I open Excel from a desktop shortcut or the Start menu and a blank workbook/worksheet opens as normal. I then open a workbook/worksheet that I have saved from the pinned recent files. This opens another instance of Excel. If I then open another saved workbook in the same manner, again another instance of Excel opens. Previous versions, either replaced the the current workbook/worksheet with the new one or opened the next workbook/worksheet as a new tab. If I close the original workbook/worksheet, then all the open workbooks/worksheets close. I cannot find how to stop new instances opening. Help please

 

[Derek Brown]

Hello and welcome to The Board.
This may not be the solution but it is worth checking anyway:
Look at "General" in Excel Options, Advanced and make sure that there is no tick against "Ignore other applications that use DDE".

 

[Thehub]

Hi. Thanks for your suggestion. I have just tried that, and it does stop the problem of closing all workbooks when you close the original, but doesn't stop the Excel opening multiple sheets/workbooks. I have since been told that it is not opening multiple instances, just separate workbooks. The only way around is to use a 3rd party app called Office Tab, which opens the sheets as tabs on the main workbook. Looks like that may be the only answer.