Excel for Mac Gets Side-by-Side Worksheet Viewing: Boost Your Productivity

Microsoft's relentless pursuit to harmonize the Excel experience across platforms has taken a tangible step forward, as Mac users finally gain the ability to view and edit multiple worksheets side by side—an upgrade that promises to elevate productivity and transform data workflows for countless professionals, students, and casual users who rely on Excel daily.

Bridging the Productivity Gap: Excel for Mac Gets a Key Upgrade​

For years, users of Microsoft Excel on Mac have faced a somewhat limited feature set compared to their Windows counterparts. While recent updates have delivered improvements such as a true dark mode, critical features like Power Pivot and full VBA support have taken longer to materialize or remain incomplete. However, with the introduction of side-by-side worksheet viewing, Microsoft is taking a considerable stride toward closing this gap and delivering parity between platforms.

Why Side-by-Side Worksheet Viewing Matters​

Anyone who works regularly with complex spreadsheets understands the pains of cycling through worksheet tabs—often dozens deep—just to cross-check a value, verify formula consistency, or consolidate information spread across different parts of a workbook. The process is time-consuming and error-prone; it distracts from the task at hand and risks introducing mistakes by relying on memory or manual data transfer.
The ability to view multiple worksheets side by side—whether from the same workbook or from entirely separate ones—solves these problems head-on:

• Enhanced Productivity: Users can seamlessly compare data, reference information between sheets, or perform data validation without the mental overhead of tab-switching.
• Efficient Workflows: Tasks that require cross-sheet analysis, such as auditing data, tracking changes, or merging information, become streamlined and far less cumbersome.
• Improved Accuracy: With multiple sheets visible simultaneously, data transfer errors and formula inconsistencies are significantly reduced—a boon for anyone in finance, academia, research, or any data-driven field.

How It Works: A User-Friendly Experience​

Enabling the new Excel for Mac side-by-side feature is as simple as it is effective, adhering to the intuitive design ethos that many Mac users value:

• Open the Desired Worksheet: Start by opening the worksheet you’d like to display.
• Create a New Window: Navigate to the “View” tab on Excel’s ribbon and select “New Window.” This action opens the worksheet in its own separate window.
• Open Other Sheets or Workbooks: If you need to compare with a sheet from a different workbook, simply open that second workbook and again choose “New Window.”
• View Side by Side: Return to the “View” tab and click the “View Side by Side” button. The windows will arrange themselves for optimal comparison.

To further enhance this experience, Microsoft has included a few thoughtful options:

• Reset Window Position: If you accidentally move the worksheet windows out of alignment, clicking “Reset Window Position” instantly snaps them back into place.
• Synchronous Scrolling: Turned on via the “View Side by Side” feature, this option allows scrolling in one sheet to simultaneously scroll the other—ideal for line-by-line data comparison.

At present, Microsoft notes a minor limitation: the “View Side by Side” command is not yet searchable in Excel’s Search bar. This is a small inconvenience and one likely to be addressed in a future update.

Strengths: More Than Just a Convenience​

This update does more than save users a few clicks—it fundamentally enhances the analytical capabilities of Excel for Mac. For advanced users who routinely work with multiple data sources, pivot tables, summaries, or error-checking tasks, the time and cognitive load savings are substantial. For newcomers to Excel or those who use it as an occasional organizational tool, the change lowers the barrier to performing effective data analysis, making diverse workflows feel more approachable.
Key strengths of this feature include:

• Ease of Adoption: No special training or configuration required; users familiar with Windows Excel will instantly recognize the workflow.
• Cross-Workbook Power: The ability to view entirely separate workbooks simultaneously is particularly valuable for consultants, researchers, or colleagues who reference client data alongside internal records.
• Consistency Across Platforms: By narrowing the feature gap, businesses and educational institutions with mixed-platform environments gain a more consistent user experience, making training and support easier.

Risks, Limitations, and Opportunities for Improvement​

No feature is without its caveats. While side-by-side worksheet viewing is a vital addition, it’s important to address potential shortcomings and consider where Microsoft could go further.

Current Limitations​

• Performance in Large Spreadsheets: Some users may notice performance slowdowns when viewing very large sheets in multiple windows, especially on older Mac hardware or with resource-intensive files.
• Partial Feature Parity: Though this addition brings Excel for Mac closer to Windows parity, highly requested tools like Power Pivot, more advanced VBA support, and certain add-ins continue to lag behind on the Mac side.
• Search Integration: The inability to access “View Side by Side” via Search feels counterintuitive, particularly in a modern application where discoverability is critical.
• Beta Channel Rollout: As of now, the feature is available only to Microsoft 365 Insider Beta users on Version 16.97 Build 25041535 or newer. General availability is anticipated, but mainstream users may have to wait until the full rollout.

Potential Risks​

• User Confusion: In environments where users are unfamiliar with window management on macOS, having multiple instances of the same application open simultaneously could lead to accidental closure of unsaved work.
• Training and Documentation: Businesses may need to update internal training materials to take advantage of the new feature, especially if their workforce spans both Mac and Windows.

Opportunities for Enhancement​

Looking forward, Microsoft could further streamline this experience by:

• Enabling “View Side by Side” from Search: Improving command discoverability is an essential UX refinement.
• Better Window Management: Providing new window snapping features tailored to macOS, like native Split View support, would amplify usability.
• Expanding Advanced Feature Set: Continued investment in parity for Power Pivot, enhanced VBA, and workflow add-ins would make Excel for Mac the undisputed choice across all scenarios.
• User-Customizable Window Layouts: Allowing users to define and save window layouts for recurring data comparison tasks would take the feature to another level.

Comparative View: Mac vs. Windows Excel Evolving Together​

Historically, Excel for Windows has enjoyed a clear advantage in terms of feature depth and integration—understandable given Microsoft’s core ecosystem and enterprise legacy. But, as the professional workforce has diversified—driven by BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) trends, the creative industry’s affinity for Macs, and the rise of hybrid work—equal footing between platforms has grown ever more vital.
The introduction of side-by-side worksheet viewing is just one of several moves Microsoft has made over recent years to harmonize the Excel experience:

Feature	Windows Excel	Mac Excel (Before)	Mac Excel (Now)
Side-by-side Worksheet Viewing	Yes	No	Yes (Beta)
Full Power Pivot	Yes	Partial/No	Partial/No
VBA Support	Yes (Comprehensive)	Limited	Improving
External Add-in Compatibility	Yes	Limited	Expanding
Dark Mode	Yes	Recent Addition	Yes

In this landscape, closing even modest feature gaps pays outsized dividends, reducing friction for cross-platform collaboration, and signaling that Mac users aren’t relegated to a second-class experience.

User Scenarios: Unlocking New Use Cases​

What does side-by-side worksheet editing look like in the real world? Here are a few workflows that stand to gain dramatically:

Financial Analysis​

A financial analyst tasked with preparing a quarterly report needs to compare current figures against last quarter’s data. Previously, this meant constant tab-switching and increased risk of copy-paste errors. Now, both reports can be open side by side for rapid validation and adjustment.

Academic Research​

A data scientist or academic working on a meta-analysis might collect results from multiple datasets stored in separate workbooks. Simultaneous viewing allows for live cross-referencing and synthesis, raising the efficiency and accuracy of literature reviews or experimental data aggregation.

Project Management​

Project managers often juggle several progress dashboards, team assignments, and Gantt charts at once. Being able to reference different sheets concurrently eliminates context switching and helps maintain focus under deadline pressure.

The Road Ahead: What This Means for Mac Users​

For the first time in years, Excel for Mac feels less like a pared-down alternative and more like a true peer to its Windows sibling. This is more than just a matter of feature checklists—it’s about user freedom, workflow flexibility, and trust in the platform as a first-class data tool.
That said, Mac users remain hopeful for further advances. Power Pivot, smarter automation via advanced VBA, and a broader range of add-ins remain high on community wish lists. If Microsoft continues down its current path, the future promises an Excel platform that fully empowers every user, regardless of device.

Conclusion: Progress, Not Perfection—But a Win All the Same​

Microsoft’s rollout of side-by-side worksheet viewing for Excel for Mac is a small but significant victory for cross-platform productivity. It demonstrates an understanding of real-world user pain points and a commitment to closing long-standing functional gaps. The feature is intuitive, impactful, and signals that the company is listening to its diverse user base.
As this update gradually reaches all users, Mac aficionados can celebrate greater parity and productivity, while power users may cast a watchful—if optimistic—eye on what improvements may come next. With each step like this one, Excel for Mac moves closer to being an equally unstoppable powerhouse for data analysis, collaboration, and strategic decision-making, regardless of platform or hardware.
The journey toward perfect parity continues, but today’s update is a promising sign that Microsoft recognizes the value of every user’s workflow and is determined to support them, one thoughtfully crafted feature at a time.

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Source: Neowin Microsoft brings the ability to edit multiple worksheets side by side to Excel for Mac