How to Close all open Excel files without saving

Introduction

If you work with Excel frequently, you may occasionally find yourself in a situation where you have multiple Excel files open that you don’t want to save. This could happen, for example, if you’re working on a project that involves creating and testing multiple versions of a file, or if you’re collaborating with others and need to review a large number of documents. In these cases, it can be time-consuming and frustrating to have to close each file individually and click “Don’t Save” for each one. Fortunately, there is a way to close all open Excel files without saving them, and in this post, we’ll show you how.

Method 1: Using the Keyboard Shortcut

One of the quickest and easiest ways to close all open Excel files without saving them is to use a keyboard shortcut. Here’s how:

1. Press and hold down the Ctrl key on your keyboard.
2. While still holding down Ctrl, press the F4 key.
3. All open Excel files will close without saving.

This method is fast and efficient, but it may not work on all versions of Excel or on all operating systems. If you find that this method doesn’t work for you, try one of the other methods below.

Method 2: Using the Task Manager

Another way to close all open Excel files without saving them is to use the Task Manager. Here’s how:

1. Right-click on the taskbar at the bottom of your screen.
2. Select Task Manager from the menu that appears.
3. In the Task Manager window, click on the Processes tab.
4. Look for any processes that are associated with Excel, such as “EXCEL.EXE” or “Microsoft Excel”.
5. Select each Excel process and click the End Task button.
6. All open Excel files will close without saving.

This method may be slightly more time-consuming than the keyboard shortcut method, but it should work on most versions of Excel and on most operating systems.

Method 3: Using a Macro

If you’re comfortable using macros in Excel, you can create a macro that will close all open Excel files without saving them. Here’s how:

1. Open Excel and create a new workbook.
2. Press Alt + F11 to open the Visual Basic Editor.
3. In the Visual Basic Editor, click on Insert > Module.
4. Copy and paste the following code into the module:

Sub CloseAllWithoutSaving()
Dim wb As Workbook
For Each wb In Workbooks
wb.Close False
Next wb
End Sub

5. Press F5 to run the macro.
6. All open Excel files will close without saving.

This method requires a bit more setup than the previous two methods, but it can be useful if you frequently need to close a large number of Excel files without saving them.

Method 4: Using PowerShell

If you’re comfortable using PowerShell, you can also use it to close all open Excel files without saving them. Here’s how:

1. Click on the Start menu and type “PowerShell” in the search bar.
2. Right-click on Windows PowerShell and select “Run as administrator”.
3. In the PowerShell window, type the following command:

Get-Process | Where-Object {$_.MainWindowTitle -like “*Microsoft Excel*”} | ForEach-Object { $_.CloseMainWindow() }

4. Press Enter.
5. All open Excel files will close without saving.

This method may be a bit more complex than the previous methods, but it can be useful if you’re comfortable with PowerShell and want to automate the process of closing Excel files without saving them.

Method 5: Using a Third-Party Application

Finally, if you’re looking for a more user-friendly solution, there are several third-party applications available that can help you close all open Excel files without saving them. One popular option is CloseAll, which is a free application that allows you to close all open applications, including Excel, with a single click. Here’s how to use it:

1. Download and install CloseAll from the official website.
2. Open CloseAll.
3. Click the “Close All Applications” button.
4. All open Excel files will close without saving.

This method is the most user-friendly of all the methods we’ve discussed, but it does require you to download and install a separate application.

Conclusion

Closing all open Excel files without saving them can be a time-consuming and frustrating task, but with the methods we’ve discussed in this post, you can do it quickly and easily. Whether you prefer using keyboard shortcuts, macros, PowerShell, or third-party applications, there’s a method that will work for you. So the next time you find yourself with a large number of open Excel files that you don’t want to save, try one of these methods and save yourself some time and hassle.

The command prompt can be used to terminate all Excel processes by entering the following command:

taskkill /im excel.exe /f