Having trouble keeping your headers visible while scrolling through extensive Excel spreadsheets? It’s a common frustration, but fortunately, Excel offers a simple yet powerful solution: freezing rows. This guide will show you exactly How To Freeze A Row In Excel, allowing you to navigate your data with ease and keep those important labels always in sight.
Freezing Rows in Excel: Step-by-Step
Freezing rows in Excel is a straightforward process that can significantly improve your workflow. Here’s a detailed breakdown of how to lock rows in Excel to keep them visible as you scroll.
How to Freeze the Top Row in Excel
Freezing the top row, which is row 1, is the most common scenario and Excel makes it incredibly easy:
- Navigate to the “View” tab on the Excel ribbon.
- In the “Window” group, click on “Freeze Panes.”
- From the dropdown menu, select “Freeze Top Row.”
Alt Text: Excel View tab, Freeze Panes dropdown menu highlighted, with “Freeze Top Row” option selected, demonstrating how to freeze the first row in Excel.
That’s it! Excel will now lock the first row of your worksheet. As you scroll down through your data, the header row will remain ثابت at the top, ensuring you always know what each column represents.
Freezing Multiple Rows in Excel
What if your headers span across multiple rows? Excel allows you to freeze more than just the top row. Here’s how to freeze specific rows, for example, rows 1 and 2:
- Select the row immediately below the rows you want to freeze. In this case, to freeze rows 1 and 2, you would select row 3.
Alt Text: Excel worksheet showing row 3 selected, indicating the step to choose the row below the desired frozen rows when freezing multiple rows in Excel.
- Go back to the “View” tab, click on “Freeze Panes” in the “Window” group.
- This time, simply select “Freeze Panes” from the drop-down menu (the first option).
Alt Text: Excel View tab, Freeze Panes dropdown menu open with “Freeze Panes” option highlighted, illustrating the selection for freezing multiple rows or columns in Excel.
Now, as you scroll down your worksheet, rows 1 and 2 will remain frozen at the top. This is incredibly useful for spreadsheets with multi-line headers or when you need to keep the top few rows constantly visible. For example, in the image below, we’ve scrolled down to row 35, but rows 1 and 2 are still visible.
Alt Text: Excel worksheet scrolled down to row 35, with rows 1 and 2 frozen and still visible at the top, demonstrating the result of freezing multiple rows in Excel.
Freezing Columns in Excel
The process for freezing columns in Excel is very similar to freezing rows. Let’s explore how to lock columns in Excel.
How to Freeze the First Column in Excel
To keep your first column (column A) visible as you scroll horizontally:
- Navigate to the “View” tab on the ribbon.
- Click on “Freeze Panes” in the “Window” group.
- Select “Freeze First Column” from the dropdown menu.
Alt Text: Excel View tab, Freeze Panes dropdown menu highlighted, with “Freeze First Column” option selected, showing how to freeze the initial column in Excel.
This is especially helpful when your first column contains important identifiers like IDs, names, or categories that you need to refer to while viewing data in columns further to the right.
Freezing Multiple Columns in Excel
To freeze more than one column, for instance, columns A and B:
- Select the column immediately to the right of the columns you want to freeze. In this case, select column C.
Alt Text: Excel worksheet with column C selected, indicating the step to choose the column to the right of the desired frozen columns when freezing multiple columns in Excel.
- Go to the “View” tab, click “Freeze Panes”.
- Choose “Freeze Panes” from the dropdown menu.
Alt Text: Excel View tab, Freeze Panes dropdown menu open with “Freeze Panes” option highlighted, illustrating the selection for freezing multiple rows or columns in Excel.
Now, as you scroll horizontally across your worksheet, columns A and B will remain frozen on the left side, always visible. In the example below, we’ve scrolled to column K, but columns A and B are still in view.
Alt Text: Excel worksheet scrolled horizontally to column K, with columns A and B frozen and still visible on the left side, demonstrating the result of freezing multiple columns in Excel.
Freezing Both Rows and Columns Simultaneously in Excel
Excel also allows you to freeze both rows and columns at the same time. This is incredibly useful when you have both header rows at the top and label columns on the side that you want to keep visible. Let’s say you want to freeze rows 1 and 2 along with column A.
Alt Text: Excel worksheet showing the intersection of frozen rows and columns, indicating the desire to freeze both rows and columns simultaneously in Excel.
Here’s how to freeze both rows and columns:
- Select the cell that is immediately below the last row you want to freeze and immediately to the right of the last column you want to freeze. In our example, to freeze rows 1 & 2 and column A, you would select cell B3.
Alt Text: Excel worksheet with cell B3 selected, demonstrating the correct cell selection for freezing both rows and columns simultaneously in Excel.
- Go to the “View” tab, click “Freeze Panes”.
- Choose “Freeze Panes” from the dropdown menu.
Alt Text: Excel View tab, Freeze Panes dropdown menu open with “Freeze Panes” option highlighted, illustrating the selection for freezing multiple rows or columns in Excel.
Now, when you scroll both vertically and horizontally, rows 1 and 2 will remain frozen at the top, and column A will remain frozen on the left. In the example below, we’ve scrolled down to row 27 and across to column K, and the frozen rows and columns are still visible.
Alt Text: Excel worksheet scrolled down to row 27 and across to column K, with rows 1 & 2 and column A frozen and still visible, demonstrating the result of freezing both rows and columns in Excel.
How to Unfreeze Panes in Excel
To revert your worksheet to its normal scrolling behavior and remove the frozen panes, unfreezing is simple:
- Go to the “View” tab.
- Click on “Freeze Panes”.
- Select “Unfreeze Panes” from the dropdown menu.
Alt Text: Excel View tab, Freeze Panes dropdown menu highlighted, with “Unfreeze Panes” option selected, showing how to remove frozen panes in Excel.
This will instantly unfreeze any rows or columns you had previously locked.
Excel Shortcuts for Freezing Panes
For those who love efficiency, Excel shortcuts can significantly speed up your workflow. While there isn’t a direct keyboard shortcut specifically for “Freeze Panes,” you can easily add the Freeze Panes command to your Quick Access Toolbar for one-click access. Here’s how:
- Click the small dropdown arrow on the Quick Access Toolbar (located at the very top left of the Excel window) and select “More Commands.”
Alt Text: Excel Quick Access Toolbar dropdown menu open with “More Commands” highlighted, showing how to access additional commands for the Quick Access Toolbar in Excel.
- In the “Excel Options” dialog box, under “Choose commands from,” select “All Commands.”
- Scroll down the list of commands until you find “Freeze Panes,” select it, and click “Add > >” to move it to the Quick Access Toolbar.
Alt Text: Excel Options dialog box, Quick Access Toolbar customization, with “Freeze Panes” command selected and the “Add” button highlighted, demonstrating how to add Freeze Panes to the Quick Access Toolbar in Excel.
- Click “OK” to save your changes.
Now, a “Freeze Panes” icon will appear in your Quick Access Toolbar, giving you instant access to freeze or unfreeze panes with a single click.
✨ You can also use the keyboard to quickly access the Freeze Panes menu. Press Alt + W, then F. This shortcut sequence opens the Freeze Panes dropdown menu on the “View” tab, allowing you to select your desired freezing option using the arrow keys and Enter.
💡 For even more Excel shortcuts and time-saving tips, be sure to check out our comprehensive Excel shortcut keys blog post HERE.
Practice Freezing Panes: Example
Ready to put your knowledge into practice? The best way to master freezing panes in Excel is to try it yourself. Here’s a quick exercise:
- Download and open our practice workbook.
- Unfreeze any existing panes.
- Freeze columns A through E and rows 1 to 2.
- Scroll horizontally to column N and vertically down to row 27.
- Your screen should resemble the image below, with columns A-E and rows 1-2 still visible.
Alt Text: Excel worksheet demonstrating a practice example of frozen panes, showing columns A through E and rows 1 and 2 frozen while scrolled to column N and row 27 in Excel.
Excel Essentials for the Real World Course
Want to take your Excel skills to the next level? Our Excel Essentials for the Real World course is designed to provide you with a solid foundation in Excel and empower you to use it effectively in practical scenarios. Many of our students report a renewed enthusiasm for Excel after taking this course, and we are confident you will too.
Learn More about Excel Essentials Course
Alt Text: Course cover image for “Excel Essentials for the Real World” course, promoting Excel training to enhance practical Excel skills.
Mastering the ability to freeze panes in Excel is a crucial skill for anyone working with data. It streamlines data analysis, improves data presentation, and ultimately makes working with large spreadsheets much more efficient. It’s a simple feature with a significant impact on your Excel productivity.
Download the Practice Workbook
To solidify your understanding and practice how to freeze a row in Excel and other freezing techniques, download our practice workbook. Work through the examples in real-time and master this essential Excel skill.
Download the Excel practice workbook here
Published on: February 23, 2024
Last modified: May 20, 2024
Category: Excel Tutorials
LinkedIn Profile Twitter Profile YouTube Channel
Leila Gharani
I have over two decades of experience helping businesses leverage data for improved outcomes. My background includes roles as an economist and consultant, and 12 years in corporate positions managing SAP and Oracle projects across finance, operations, and IT.
As a 7-time Microsoft MVP, I possess in-depth knowledge of Excel and Power BI.
I am passionate about demystifying complex technical topics and empowering individuals to realize their own capabilities. I am committed to continuous learning and discovering innovative methods to facilitate the success of others.
More About Leila Gharani Join our courses
