Excel is an all-in-one spreadsheet application for organizing and analyzing massive datasets. It offers plenty of tools and functions that let users create powerful reports, and it is accessible to both beginners and advanced users.
When dealing with data including thousands of rows and columns, it becomes challenging to remember the purpose of each row or column you scroll down or to the right side of the sheet.
You can quickly solve this issue by freezing the row and column headers. Freezing rows and columns is an excellent practice for improving readability and identifying crucial cells.
Welcome to this guide if you are searching for a solution to how to freeze rows and columns and keep them visible while scrolling down or to the right of the spreadsheet. Make sure to read the article till the end, as it includes valuable tips and tricks to improve the readability of the datasets or reports prepared in Excel.
Download the Example Excel Sheet
Though freezing rows and columns in Excel is pretty straightforward, we suggest you download the following sheet and practice the methods discussed in this article.
The file contains an example dataset we used to demonstrate freezing rows and columns in Excel. If you have your own workbook ready with the required dataset, you can skip downloading the above file.
How to Freeze Rows in Excel
Freezing rows in Excel allows you to keep specific rows visible while you scroll down the rest of your spreadsheet. Simply put, by freezing specific rows, you can keep essential headers or other information visible as you scroll down.
Consider the following dataset, which has company information at the top.
Our task is to freeze the first two rows containing the company information and table header.
Here are the steps,
- Open the desired Excel workbook
- Select the row immediately below the last row you want to freeze. For example, if you’re going to freeze the first two rows, select the 3rd row as shown below,
- Hover to the main menu and click on the “View” tab
- Next, select the “Freeze Panes” dropdown as shown below,
- From the dropdown list, click on the “Freeze Panes” option
After following the above steps, whenever you scroll down, the top two rows will stay intact, as shown in the following GIF.
Note that we have selected the first two rows; you can choose a few more, but the only condition is that the selected rows must be within the displayed screen.
How do I quickly Freeze the Top row in Excel?
Most of the time, you may wish the top row to be visible while you scroll down.
The top row can be a header or company logo and any other important information that needs to be highlighted while scrolling through the data.
You can use the keyboard shortcut or follow the steps below to free the top row,
- Open the desired spreadsheet
- Select the top row by clicking on the row number as shown below
- Go to the main menu and click on the “View” tab
- Click on the “Freeze Panes” dropdown in the “Window” section as shown below,
- Select the “Freeze Top Row” option from the list
We have used the same dataset from the previous example and froze the first row, which includes the company details and sheet title.
Refer to the following GIF,
Now, when you scroll down, the first row is intact and does not disappear as usual.
The steps to freeze a single or multiple rows are pretty straightforward. You don’t need any expert knowledge to do the job.
If you want to freeze multiple rows, make sure to select the row right below the last row you wish to freeze.
How to Freeze Columns in Excel
All the methods discussed above for freezing rows are applicable to columns in Excel with some adjustments.
We will start by freezing a single column and then look at the steps to freeze multiple columns.
How to Freeze the First Column in a Workbook
Sometimes, there are massive datasets where users need to refer back to the first column constantly.
In this section, we will learn the steps to lock the first column of your spreadsheet using a few easy steps.
Let’s see how to do it.
- Open the desired Excel sheet
- Hover over to the main and click on the “View” tab
- Select the “Freeze Panes” option in the “Window” section
- Click on the “Freeze First Column” option from the dropdown
That’s it! Excel will instantly lock the first column, keeping it visible as you keep scrolling to the right of the screen.
Now, let’s see how to freeze multiple columns in a worksheet.
How to Freeze Multiple Columns in a Workbook
You need to follow the same steps to freeze single or multiple columns.
In a few circumstances, the first few columns may include the data that needs to be referenced as you scroll to the right of the sheet.
So, here are the steps to freeze the first two columns in Excel.
- Open your Excel workbook
- For freezing the first two columns, you need to select the first three columns, as shown in the following image
(In other words, every time you wish to freeze a certain number of columns, make sure to select all of them and one extra adjacent column) - Go to the main menu and click on the “View” tab
- Click on the “Freeze Panes” dropdown in the “Window” section
- Select the first option, named the “Freeze Panes,” as shown below
Excel will freeze rows A and B since we have selected columns A, B, and C, as shown below.
Refer to the above GIF for the complete process. Make sure you select additional columns while freezing the desired columns.
How to Unfreeze Rows and Columns in Excel
There is no separate option to unfreeze rows and columns in Excel; it is just as simple as freezing them.
It allows you to restore your worksheet’s normal scrolling behavior when you no longer need to keep specific rows or columns visible.
Here is how to unfreeze rows and columns in Excel.
- Open your desired Excel workbook
- Navigate to the “View” tab
- Click on the “Freeze Panes” in the “Window” group
- Select the “Unfreeze Panes” option from the list
This method allows you to unfreeze columns within a few seconds.
How to Split a Workbook in Excel
The Split feature in Excel is used when you need to compare different sections of a large worksheet simultaneously. By splitting the workbook into separate panes, you can scroll through each one of them independently.
Here are a few benefits of the Split feature in Excel:
- Comparing Data: The split feature is useful when you need to compare data from different parts of the same worksheet.
- Data Entry and Review: This feature is helpful for entering data in one part of the worksheet while referencing another part.
- Working with Large Datasets: When working with large datasets, you will need to keep an eye on the headers or labels while scrolling through the data. In this situation, the split function can be helpful.
Let’s see how to use the Split Feature in Excel.
- Open the desired Excel spreadsheet
- Select the cell where you want to create the split
(Excel will split the worksheet into four parts. For example, to split the sheet at row 10 and column D, you need to select the cell D10) - Next, click on the “View” tab from the main menu
- In the “Window” group, click on the “Split” icon as shown in the following image,
This will divide the worksheet into four separate panes, as shown below. You can adjust the split by dragging the split bars to resize the panes.
How to Split Data Horizontally
There are scenarios where you need to compare data across different rows. The Split feature allows you to divide your worksheet into separate, independently scrollable panes.
Here’s how to do it,
- Open the Excel worksheet where you wish to split the data
- Select the row where you want to apply the split. For example, if you want to split the row above 10, select row 10
- Go to the “View” tab
- In the “Window” group, click on the “Split” option as shown below,
Excel will split your spreadsheet horizontally above the selected row within a moment. Refer to the following GIF.
How to Split Data Vertically
Splitting data vertically is useful when comparing data across columns. It ensures that essential headers and labels remain visible during quick navigation and comparison.
Here’s how to split data vertically,
- Open the desired Excel spreadsheet
- Select the column to the right of where you want to apply the split. For example, if you wish to split the column B, then select column C
- Go to the “View” tab from the main menu
- Click on the “Split” button in the “Window” group
Refer to the following GIF for the complete process and results.
Once you are done with the comparison, you can easily remove the Split applied.
To undo the split action, you can just click on the “Split” button again in the “View” tab. You can even double-click on the split bar.
FAQs
Q. Can I freeze rows and columns at the same time?
Yes, of course, Excel allows you to freeze rows and columns simultaneously.
You need only click on the “View” tab from the main menu and select the “Freeze Panes” option. For the complete steps, refer to the above sections of this article.
Q. What is the shortcut key to freeze multiple rows and columns in Excel?
You can use the following keyboard shortcuts to freeze rows and columns in Excel.
- Splitting – Press the keys “Alt+W+F+F” one after another to split the worksheet into four panes.
- Freezing Row – Press the keys “Alt+W+F+R” to freeze the top row of your worksheet.
- Freezing Column – To freeze the first column, use the keyboard shortcut “Alt +W+F+C”.
Q. What should you do when frozen rows and columns are not visible on every page after printing the worksheet?
By default, Excel will display the frozen rows and columns across every printed page. But there are times when this doesn’t happen.
In that case, follow the steps below:
- Open the desired worksheet that you wish to print
- Click on the “Page Layout” tab in the main menu
- In the “Page Setup” group, click on “Print Titles”
- This will open a new “Page Setup” dialog box as shown below,
- Click on the “Sheet” tab and locate the “Rows to repeat at the top” field
- Select the rows you want to repeat on every printed page by clicking and dragging over the row numbers to set rows to repeat at the top
- Similarly, in the “Columns to repeat at the left” field, select the columns you want on every page by dragging over the column letters in the worksheet
- Once done, click the “OK” button
Q. How do I freeze only specific cells in Excel?
There are scenarios where you want certain cells to remain untouched, especially when the worksheet is used by many people. Excel also has a solution for that.
To freeze specific cells, follow the steps below,
- Open the desired Excel worksheet
- Select the cells you want to lock
- Right-click and click on “Format Cells”
- A new dialog box will appear on your screen
- Click on the “Protection” tab and tick the box before the “Locked” option
- Click the “OK” button once done
It will lock the cell and ensure that nobody will be able to change or delete the content within the given cell.
To Summarize: Freeze Rows and Columns in Excel
After reading this article, I am pretty sure that you can Freeze the rows and columns in Excel within seconds. We have also discussed splitting the entire workbook into four separate panes.
Feel free to comment below if you have any questions. Our team will try to answer them as soon as possible.
Also, make sure to explore our blog section for more tips and tricks on using Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets like a pro.