Why do all my Excel 2016 files open to the size of a postage stamp?

Question

The start of each day all my Excel files open very small. After I maximize them, they will open and close just fine for the rest of the day. But the next day they all open small again. Here are some details

1. I'm not using a shortcut.
2. I've tried holding the ctrl key when closing the file.
3. Other Office files work fine.
4. The behavior shows when in safe mode.
5. Running Windows 10.

Here is what it looks like...

Whats going on?

Answer 1

I have not had to use this, but have heard this will resolve what you are experiencing.

1. Open Excel
2. Go to the View tab and click on New Window
3. Save the workbook

Not sure why it works, other than it most likely resets the window view settings.

Answer 2

I had to erase the following registry keys to get it to reset..

Replace 16.0 with whatever version of Office you are running e.g. 14.0, 15.0, etc.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Excel\Options  Pos
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Excel\Options  Maximized

Deleting these two keys with Excel closed will force Excel to recreate the keys, which will resolve the issue.

Answer 3

Excel is trying to "help" you by remembering what you did last.

Here are a few things you could try:

1. Open Excel, without opening any .xls file (start it by Window+S and type 'Excel'), maximize it, and close.
2. If the above didn't work, resize the window by dragging the side or corner handles (don't click the maximize button) and close.
3. Run virus scanner?

Answer 4

I had the same problem. Worksheet was created in Excel 2013, opened in non-re-sizable window in intranet Excel 2007.

I went to View. New Window was not an option, but "Page Layout" view was. After I opened it in Page Layout view, it expanded to the full page. After I saved the sheet, it behaved normally when reopened.

Answer 5

If you have a hidden file that opens on Excel startup, that is minimized, then it can cause Excel to start in that size/shape.

Open Excel, go to the view tab, select 'unhide', and 'unhide' any files. If they are minimized then expand them. If you use macros there is most likely a Personal.XLSB file that is hidden and opens at startup of Excel. Since any file in the startup folder opens first it sets the size.

Answer 6

I believe that this problem is related to Snap Assist. If the (Excel) window is resized so that it snaps to the desktop edges the new size isn't saved for future use. Try turning Snap Assist off (Settings -> System -> Multi-tasking).

Answer 7

1. Open Excel from Search button
2. "Open File Location"
3. Right Click on the Excel and select Properties
4. On "Run" field select "Maximized"
5. Apply + Ok