How To Freeze Cells And Columns In Excel?

Using the freeze option in Excel, you can freeze just the header (top row) or multiple rows while scrolling. Let us look at both methods in simple steps.

How to freeze the top row?

1. Open your Excel worksheet.
2. Go to the View tab at the top of your document.
3. Click on Freeze Panes to open the drop-down menu.
4. Select the Freeze Top Row option.

Now, the top row will remain visible as you scroll down through the worksheet.

With the freeze panes in Excel, you can freeze either the first column or multiple columns at once. Let us look at both methods one by one.

How to freeze the first column?

1. Open your Excel worksheet.
2. Click the View tab at the top of your Excel worksheet.
3. Click on Freeze Panes to view the drop-down menu.
4. Select the Freeze First Column option.

Now, the first column will remain intact as you scroll to the right through the worksheet.

With the freeze panes in Excel, you can freeze either the first column or multiple columns at once. Let us look at both methods one by one.

How to freeze the first column?

1. Open your Excel worksheet.
2. Click the View tab at the top of your Excel worksheet.
3. Click on Freeze Panes to view the drop-down menu.
4. Select the Freeze First Column option.

Now, the first column will remain intact as you scroll to the right through the worksheet.

How to freeze multiple columns in Excel?

1. Open your Excel worksheet.
2. Select the column just to the right of the columns you want to freeze. For example, to freeze the first two columns, select the third column completely by clicking its column letter (C) at the top.
3. Navigate to the View tab.
4. Click on Freeze Panes to access the drop-down menu.
5. Select Freeze Panes.

Now, as you scroll to the right, the first two columns will remain visible.

1. Open your Excel worksheet.
2. Select the cell present below the rows and to the right of the columns you want to freeze.
3. Go to the View tab.
4. Click on Freeze Panes.
5. Select Freeze Panes.

1. Keep the Excel worksheet open.
2. Navigate to the View tab at the top of the worksheet.
3. Click on Freeze Panes to get the drop-down menu.
4. Select Unfreeze Panes.

Now, the previously frozen rows and columns will be unlocked.

If you frequently use freeze panes in Excel, here is a quick tip.

Add Freeze Panes to your Quick Access Toolbar so it appears at the top of your screen. Now, you can freeze cells in Excel instantly without having to navigate through the View tab.

Here is how you can use the freeze shortcut in Excel.

Go to the File menu and select Options. Under Quick Access Toolbar, choose All Commands from the Choose Commands From: drop-down. Find Freeze Panes, click Add, and then click OK

Additional Read: How to shut down laptop with keyboard?

Other helpful View options that can work with freeze panes in Excel

When working with large data sets, comparing information can still be challenging even with freeze in Excel. In such cases, you can use other helpful options under the View tab, such as the New Window and Arrange All.

• New window
  
  

  The New Window option lets you open another window of the same worksheet. You can then freeze cells in Excel in both windows and compare data across different parts of the same worksheet.

• Arrange all

  While working with multiple windows and freezing cells in Excel, the Arrange All option allows you to organize your open windows. You can arrange open windows in tiled, horizontal, vertical, or cascade layouts for quick analysis.

Under the View tab, Split is another useful option that is often confused with freeze panes in Excel. While both help you work with large data sets, they differ in their functionalities and work differently.

Using freeze panes in Excel, you can keep specific rows or columns visible as you scroll through the worksheet.

In contrast, the Split option divides the worksheet into separate sections. You can work in each section independently while keeping the other sections intact.

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