Excel Cannot Open Two Workbooks with the Same Name Simultaneously: Apologies

If you receive the error message “Sorry, Excel can’t open two workbooks with the same name at the same time” while opening an Excel file, there are several solutions you can try. This error message can occur when opening new or existing files, and some users may only encounter it when opening existing files. To fix this issue, you can try the following solutions:

1. Check for any hidden workbooks: In Excel, you can hide opened workbooks. If you can create a new workbook but can’t open an existing one, it’s possible that the workbook is open but hidden. To unhide the workbook(s), go to the View tab and click Unhide.

2. Rename the file: Change the name of the file you’re trying to open.

3. Start a new instance of Microsoft Excel: Right-click on the Excel icon on your Taskbar, press and hold the left Alt key, click Excel 2016, and then click Yes when prompted to open a new instance of Excel.

4. Open Excel in Safe Mode: Conflicting add-ins may cause problems in Microsoft Office. Open Excel in Safe Mode and disable add-ins one by one to find the problematic one.

5. Check for duplicate Add-ins: Check if two add-ins with the same name are installed in Excel. If so, disable one of them.

6. Move files from the XLSTART folder to another location: If an Excel Add-in file with the default name is placed in the XLSTART folder, it will start running automatically when you launch Excel. Move that file to another location or change its name.

7. Repair or reinstall Office: If none of the above solutions work, repair or reinstall Microsoft Office.

To open multiple workbooks at the same time, press Ctrl + O or go to “File > Open.”