Excel How-To

How to Freeze Rows and Columns in Excel

Freeze Panes locks rows or columns in place so titles stay on screen as you scroll.

Step by step

1
Position the selection
Click the cell below and to the right of everything you want frozen.
2
Open Freeze Panes
Go to View ▸ Freeze Panes.
3
Choose an option
Pick Freeze Panes, Freeze Top Row, or Freeze First Column.

Freeze Top Row and Freeze First Column cannot be combined — to freeze both, select cell B2 and choose Freeze Panes.
Frozen panes only affect the screen. To repeat headers on every printed page, use Page Layout ▸ Print Titles.

How do I unfreeze?

View ▸ Freeze Panes ▸ Unfreeze Panes.

How do I freeze several rows at once?

Select the row below the last one you want frozen — for the top three rows, click row 4 — then choose View ▸ Freeze Panes.

Why is Freeze Panes greyed out?

You are probably editing a cell, the sheet is protected, or the workbook is in Page Layout view. Press Esc, switch to Normal view and try again.

Can I freeze rows in the middle of a sheet?

No. Freezing always starts at the top row and the left column. Use View ▸ Split to scroll two parts of a sheet independently.

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