Having Two Power Query Edit Views Open Simultaneously?

[Will_Texas]

Total newb question here - I have two separate excel files, can I have two Power Query Editor windows open at the same time?

When Power Query window is open, eveything in the background of Excel is frozen (understand that), but can two power query editor windows be open?

Point being: I'm trying to learn the steps from one file, and incorporate the steps into the other file, and my only workaround is screenshots or copying the Advanced Editor Text into Notepad.

I thought I had two editor windows open once, does it matter where the files are saved? Local, or on Dropbox, etc.? didn't know if that makes a difference. TIA!

 

[Ken Puls]

Unfortunately, you can only have a single instance of the Power Query UI open at any one time for a single Excel instance, and it locks Excel completely while you do. Keep in mind that every workbook you open, shares a single Excel instance, which is why this causes an issue. So to compare solutions, you have to switch to workbook1, open the PQ editor, look at what you want, close it, then switch to workbook2, etc... it's painful.

What you can do, though, is open two separate instances of Excel. To do that, open Excel and open your workbook. Then right click your Excel icon, hold down your ALT key and click Excel (not a workbook). Keep holding down ALT until it asks if you want to start a new instance of Excel and say Yes. Open the comparison workbook in that instance. You can then open a separate Power Query instance in each.

HTH,

 

[Will_Texas]

Thanks the the workaround!!

 

[RoMela]

Yes Ken, very true. I use sometimes four windows in the Windows "Task View", open four instances of Excel, and can successfully switch between multiple PQ UI's. I do have a fast Dell with 36 GBs of RAM so this works well for me.