To freeze panes in Excel, go to the View tab, click Freeze Panes, and choose Freeze Top Row, Freeze First Column, or Freeze Panes. Freeze Top Row keeps your header row visible as you scroll down. To lock several rows or columns, select the cell just below and to the right of them first, then choose Freeze Panes.
Freezing only changes what you see on screen. It doesn’t move or change your data, and it doesn’t affect printing.
How to Freeze the Top Row in Excel
- Open your worksheet.
- Click the View tab.
- Click Freeze Panes in the Window group.
- Choose Freeze Top Row.
A thin line appears under row 1. When you scroll down, row 1 stays in place above the rest of the sheet.
How to Freeze the First Column
- Click the View tab.
- Click Freeze Panes.
- Choose Freeze First Column.
Column A now stays visible when you scroll to the right, which helps when names or IDs are in the first column.
How to Freeze Multiple Rows or Columns
Microsoft explains that Freeze Panes locks the rows above and the columns to the left of the cell you select. So the cell you click decides what stays put.
- Click the cell below the last row and to the right of the last column you want to freeze. For example, click A4 to freeze rows 1 to 3, or B2 to freeze row 1 and column A.
- Click the View tab.
- Click Freeze Panes, then choose Freeze Panes.
How to Unfreeze Panes
Click View > Freeze Panes > Unfreeze Panes. The first option in the menu changes to Unfreeze Panes whenever something is frozen, as shown in the screenshot above.
Freeze Panes on Excel for Mac, the Web, and Mobile
- Excel for Mac: the same View > Freeze Panes options are available.
- Excel for the web: select View > Freeze Panes and choose an option.
- Excel on iPhone, iPad, or Android: tap View, tap Freeze Panes, then pick top row, first column, or panes.
Why Freeze Panes Is Grayed Out
- You are editing a cell: press Enter or Esc first.
- Page Layout view is on: switch to View > Normal.
- The sheet is protected: unprotect it from the Review tab.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will frozen rows repeat when I print?
No. Freezing only affects the screen. To print headers on every page, see how to repeat rows in Excel when you print.
Can I freeze a row in the middle of the sheet?
Freeze Panes always locks from the top row and first column. To compare two distant parts of a sheet, use View > Split instead.
How do I freeze rows in Google Sheets?
Google Sheets uses View > Freeze. Here’s how to freeze columns or rows in Google Sheets.
Matthew Burleigh has been writing tech tutorials since 2008. His writing has appeared on dozens of different websites and been read hundreds of millions of times.
After receiving his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science he spent several years working in IT management for small businesses. However, he now works full time writing content online and creating websites.
His main writing topics include iPhones, Microsoft Office, Google Apps, Android, and Photoshop, but he has also written about many other tech topics as well.