How to Freeze Panes in Excel: A Guide to Lock Rows and Columns

Have you ever struggled to keep headers visible while scrolling through a large Excel sheet? I’ve been there, but that was before I knew about Freeze Panes. It’s a simple tool, but it makes a huge difference. 

In this article, I will walk you through step-by-step instructions on using this feature to make your worksheet manageable. If you’re new to Excel, or if you have experience but still want to learn more, enroll in our comprehensive Excel Fundamentals skill track, which includes techniques to make you efficient and also includes a lot more, like data analysis methods, formula mastery, and effective visualization strategies.

The Quick Answer

If you are in a rush, let me give you the quick version. For the specific cases, keep reading below. 

• Go to the View tab.
• Click Freeze Panes > Freeze Top Row.
• A gray line will appear below the row, keeping it visible while scrolling.

How to Freeze Panes in Excel

Freezing panes in Excel is a great way to keep specific rows or columns visible while you scroll through your worksheet. It’s helpful when you’re working with large datasets and want to keep things like headers or important labels in view. We can freeze multiple columns and rows, just the top rows and top columns, and also unfreeze them.

Freeze top row in Excel

Now, if I want to freeze only the first row, which is usually the header of the dataset, I will go to the View tab under the Freeze Panes and click Freeze Top Row. Once we do this, we’ll see a grey line below the row, which indicates that the row is frozen and will stay in place as you scroll down. 

The top row is frozen. Image by Author.

Freeze the first column in Excel

If I want the first column to stay visible while scrolling horizontally, I will select the Freeze First Column option. A grey line will indicate that the first column is frozen.

Freeze the first column. Image by Author.

Freeze rows and columns in Excel

To keep the first row and column visible while moving around the sheet, I’ll select any cell below those rows and to the right of those columns. Then, I’ll go to the View tab on the ribbon, click Freeze Panes, and choose Freeze Panes from the dropdown menu. 

Freeze rows and columns. Image by Author.

How to Use Freeze Panes for Multiple Rows and Columns

Apart from locking the top row or the first column, sometimes, we have to freeze multiple rows, multiple columns, or even both rows and columns simultaneously. Let me explain how you can do so. 

Freeze multiple rows in Excel

We have a sample dataset below. Now, if we want to freeze the first two rows, we’ll click on the first cell in Row 3. Then, we’ll go to the View tab on the ribbon. Click Freeze Panes, and then choose Freeze Panes from the dropdown list.

Now, the top two rows will stay visible as we scroll through the rest of the sheet.

Freeze multiple rows. Image by Author.

Freeze multiple columns in Excel

To keep multiple columns visible while scrolling sideways, click on the column next to the last column you want to freeze. For example, if you want to freeze the first two columns (A and B), click on the first cell in Column C. Then, go to the View tab on the ribbon, click Freeze Panes, and select Freeze Panes from the dropdown menu.

Freeze multiple columns. Image by Author.

How to Unfreeze Panes in Excel

Now, if you want to remove the frozen panes, go to the View tab > Freeze Panes, and click Unfreeze Pane.

Unfreeze the panes. Image by Author.

This will remove all frozen rows and columns, and we can scroll freely again.

Split Panes vs. Freeze Panes in Excel

Some people confuse Split Panes with Freeze Panes. Here's a quick look at the difference between the two: Freeze Panes lets you lock specific rows or columns in place while you scroll. I use this feature whenever I want to keep my headers in view. It makes it much easier to track where I’m entering data, as I don’t have to scroll up and down to check the headers. 

Split Panes are similar to Freeze Panes but work a little differently. They let you split the Excel screen into two or four sections, and you can scroll each section independently. We can use this to compare data from different parts of our spreadsheet without constantly scrolling back and forth.

I recently used Split Panes while working on a spreadsheet with over 500 rows. I wanted to compare data in Row 2 with the data in Row 400, and scrolling all the way down wasn’t practical. Split Panes made it so easy — I could see both rows side-by-side without any hassle.

Split Pane. Image by Author.

Here, you can see how my sheet is split into four sections. This makes comparing data and keeping track of my work much easier, without getting lost or having to scroll too much. There's always more to learn with Excel. You would be surprised what you pick up with our Excel Fundamentals skill track or our Advanced Excel Functions course.