Have you ever started scrolling through a large spreadsheet, only to realize that you’ve lost track of vital information? This is very common, especially if you regularly need to reference information that is only visible when you first open your spreadsheet. Fortunately, you’re not doomed to scroll back and forth over and over again. With the Freeze Panes function in Excel, you can make certain rows or columns visible at all times, regardless of where you need to go within a single worksheet.
But how does the Freeze Panes feature work? Can you freeze multiple rows or columns at the same time? How can you unfreeze sections when you don’t want to see them anymore? Finally, where can you get help with Excel from trained IT experts?
In today’s guide, we will answer all of these questions and more, so let’s get started!
How To Freeze A Row In Excel
Freezing a row is one of the most common uses of the Freeze Pane function. Why? Because a lot of data sets utilize a relatively small number of columns and a relatively large number of rows. This means you’re more likely to have data sets that extend downward over dozens or even hundreds of different rows. It also means that you’ll have to scroll down a lot to see all of your data.
Unfortunately, when you scroll down to see new rows, it renders the rows at the top of your spreadsheet invisible. This is where the Freeze Pane function comes in. With Freeze Pane, you can ensure that important rows are always in your view no matter how far down you need to scroll!
Since it’s so common, the Freeze Pane function has a specific button just to freeze the first row in your spreadsheet. You may want to do this if you have important category information in the first row. Here’s an example:
| 1 | Product | Manufacturing Cost | Sale Price | Profit |
| 2 | Apple Laptop | $600 | $1000 | $400 |
| 3 | Apple Desktop | $800 | $1500 | $700 |
As you can see, the first row lets you know what the numbers in each column mean. While this works just fine for the first 20-30 rows, things can get tricky if you need to scroll down further. Once you begin looking at other sections of your spreadsheet, you may forget what all the numbers mean. While the example above is relatively simple, it can get far more complicated when you have a lot of different categories to keep track of.
Fortunately, using the Freeze Pane function for the first row is extremely easy. Simply follow the steps below:
- Click on the View tab
- Select “Freeze Panes”
- From the Freeze Panes menu, click on “Freeze Top Row”
Alternatively, if you want to freeze an individual row other than the first row, you’ll want to seek it out before you follow the steps above. For example, let’s say you want to freeze Row 3. You’ll just need to highlight the entire row by clicking on the far left side of the row in your spreadsheet. Then, you can follow the same steps, but choose “Freeze Pane” instead of “Freeze Top Row.”
How To Freeze A Column In Excel
While most people choose to freeze the first row or one of the rows near the top of the spreadsheet, freezing columns is also a useful feature. For instance, you may have a spreadsheet with dozens of columns. If your first column or another column includes data that you’ll need to reference frequently as you move around your spreadsheet, you’ll definitely want to freeze it so that it always remains in view.
If you want to freeze the first column, you’ll need to follow these steps:
- Click on the View tab
- Select “Freeze Panes”
- From the Freeze Panes menu, click on “Freeze First Column”
Alternatively, if you want to freeze a column other than the first column, you’ll need to find and select it manually. For example, if you want to freeze the 6th column (Column F), you’ll need to highlight the entire section by clicking at the top of the column and then following the same steps outlined above, except you’ll choose “Freeze Pane” instead of “Freeze First Column”
How To Freeze Multiple Panes In Excel
Now you’re probably asking yourself, “What should I do if I want to freeze a different row or column?” The answer is simple. While you can always freeze individual rows or columns that are out in the middle of nowhere (so to speak), you can also freeze more than one row or column at a time. For example, you may not want to freeze the just 4th column or the 15th row. Instead, you can freeze the first 4 columns or the first 15 rows simultaneously.
Freeze Multiple Rows
If you want to freeze multiple rows at once, follow these steps:
- Select the row directly below the row you want to freeze
- Click on the View tab
- Select “Freeze Panes”
- From the Freeze Panes menu, click on “Freeze Panes”
For example, if you want to freeze the first 2 rows in your spreadsheet, you’ll need to select the 3rd row and then follow the Freeze Pane steps. This will ensure that the first 2 rows always remain in view.
Freeze Multiple Columns
If you want to freeze multiple columns at once, just follow these steps:
- Select the column directly below the row you want to freeze
- Click on the View tab
- Select “Freeze Panes”
- From the Freeze Panes menu, click on “Freeze Panes”
For example, if you want to keep the first 4 columns in view, you’ll need to select the 5th column and follow the steps outlined above.
Freeze Multiple Rows and Columns
Thus far, we’ve only talked about freezing rows or columns separately. But what if you want to freeze an entire section of your spreadsheet that includes multiple rows and columns? The solution is pretty straightforward, though you will have to calculate exactly what you want to freeze beforehand.
To freeze multiple rows and columns at the same time, you’ll have to follow these steps:
- Select the cell directly below the rows you want to freeze and directly to the right of the columns you want to freeze
- Click on the View tab
- Select “Freeze Panes”
- From the Freeze Panes menu, click on “Freeze Panes”
Freezing a larger area may sound a little confusing, so let’s break this down with an example. Let’s say you want to freeze a section that includes the first 3 rows and the first 4 columns. To do this, you’ll need to navigate your cursor to the cell that is located at the intersection of Row 4 and Column 5 (or Column E). Then, go to View > Freeze Panes > Freeze Panes. This will freeze the entire section so that it will follow you wherever you want to go!
How To Unfreeze Panes In Excel
While having certain rows or columns frozen can be great for a while, there will come a time when you’re ready to see your spreadsheet in its original form. Thankfully, unfreezing panes in Excel is super easy. All you have to do is follow these steps:
- Click on the View tab
- Select “Freeze Panes”
- From the Freeze Panes menu, click on “Unfreeze Panes”
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