Robert,

There should be a smaller x (document) right under the larger one
(application), if the document window is maximized. Clicking that, or using
Ctrl-F4 will close only that window, leaving Excel, and any other workbooks,
open. Are you clicking the large X (application, not document) in the far
corner? That will close Excel (But in Word, will close only that document,
unless it's the only document open).

--
Earl Kiosterud
mvpearl omitthisword at verizon period net
-------------------------------------------

"Robert Brown" <Robert wrote in message
...
Excel seems to be running in an MDI (Multiple Document Interface) style
mode.
All other office products are SDI (Single Document Interface) or at least
work that way. The problem is that when you close Excel, with the X in
the
corner, you wind up closing all of the Excel documents, even though it
asks
you if you want to save them, the most common thing to do is say no when
you
have just looked at a spreadsheet quickly, since at times Office
applications
ask even when no apparent changes were made.

It is true that we should be more careful and fully read the pop up boxes
that appear, but after at least a year of this affecting me, I still wind
up
not saving a document and wind up losing a lot of work because I close a
spreadsheet the same way I would a word document, only the spreadsheet
closes
all spreadsheets and work only closes the document that is currently
displayed.

It is very frustrating and has cost me a lot of time and money.