Hide Inactive Excel Windows Easily (VBA & Kutools Solutions)

When working with multiple Excel workbooks, your screen can quickly become cluttered. You may find several Excel windows open at the same time, overlapping or sitting side by side, which can make it difficult to focus on the task at hand. In such situations, many users want to hide all inactive windows and keep only the active one visible to maintain a clean and distraction-free workspace. However, Excel does not provide a built-in feature to directly hide inactive windows. You can manually minimize windows or rearrange them using the View tab, but these methods are not efficient and do not truly solve the problem.

To achieve this functionality, you can either use VBA code to control window visibility or rely on a more convenient solution like Kutools for Excel, which allows you to hide inactive windows instantly with just one click.

• Method 1: Hide Inactive Windows Using VBA
• Method 2: Hide Inactive Windows with Kutools for Excel (Recommended)

Hide Inactive Windows Using VBA

If you are comfortable using macros, VBA can be used to hide all inactive Excel windows and keep only the active one visible. This method works by looping through all open workbooks and hiding those that are not currently active.

1. Open Excel and make sure you have at least two workbook windows open.
2. In the active workbook window, press Alt + F11 to open the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications window.
3. Click Insert > Module. Then copy and paste the following VBA code into the Module window.

   

   VBA: Hide inactive Excel windows

   Sub HideInactiveWorkbooks()
   'Updated by Extendoffice 20260317
       Dim wb As Workbook
       Dim win As Window
       For Each wb In Application.Workbooks
           For Each win In wb.Windows
               If wb Is Application.ActiveWorkbook Then
                   win.Visible = True
               Else
                   win.Visible = False
               End If
           Next win 
       Next wb
   End Sub

4. Press F5 to run the code.

After running this code, only the active workbook window will remain visible, while all others will be hidden.

To unhide all inactive workbooks, run the following VBA code with the same steps above:

VBA code: unhide all inactive workbook windows

Sub UnhideAllWorkbooks()
'Updated by Extendoffice 20260317
    Dim wb As Workbook
    Dim win As Window
    For Each wb In Application.Workbooks
        For Each win In wb.Windows
            win.Visible = True
        Next win
    Next wb
End Sub

However, this method has several limitations. It requires enabling macros, which may raise security concerns. It also involves manual setup and is not suitable for users who are not familiar with VBA. Additionally, restoring hidden windows requires extra VBA code, making the workflow less convenient for daily use.

Hide Inactive Windows with Kutools for Excel

For a faster and more user-friendly solution, Kutools for Excel provides a built-in feature called Hide Inactive Windows, allowing you to achieve the same result instantly without any coding.

With just one click, Kutools automatically hides all inactive Excel windows and keeps only the active one visible. This greatly improves workspace clarity and helps you stay focused on your current task.

How to use:

After installing Kutools for Excel, select Kutools > View > Hide Inactive Windows.

To unhide all hidden windows, select Kutools > View > Unhide All Hidden Windows.

Conclusion

Hiding inactive windows in Excel can significantly improve your focus and workspace organization, especially when working with multiple files. While VBA provides a possible solution, it requires technical knowledge and is less convenient for everyday use.

In contrast, Kutools for Excel offers a simple and efficient one-click solution, making it the best choice for quickly managing multiple Excel windows. If you regularly work with multiple workbooks and want a cleaner, distraction-free environment, using Kutools can greatly enhance your productivity.