Freeze Panes in Excel

• Easily navigate through your data so you do not need to scroll up and down to identify what column you are looking at as Freeze Panes locks your headers.
• Once you have locked your column or row headers, it will save you time as you won’t be checking your labels every time.
• It also helps you structure your data especially when dealing with large datasets.

Excel allows you to freeze your rows and columns in three different ways based on your requirements:

1. Freeze Top Row: This locks the first row of your data which is useful for keeping the headers of your dataset visible by scrolling up or down.
2. Freeze First Column: This locks the first column of your data which is ideal if you are scrolling right to left.
3. Freeze Panes: Suppose you want to freeze a combination of both, this will let you freeze multiple rows, multiple columns or also both as per your need.

It is very important to freeze the column headers while doing data analysis or working with data entry in Excel if you are maintaining a large dataset. Follow the below steps to freeze the top row of your worksheet:

• In your worksheet, go to the View tab
• Navigate to the Window group, and select Freeze Top Row under the Freeze Panes menu.

This is a handy option when you are dealing with an employee database or sales database where you want to retain the Employee Code or Employee Name or Invoice No in the first column. Follow the below steps to freeze the first column of your worksheet:

• Navigate to the View tab and under the Window group click on Freeze Panes.
• Select Freeze First Column.

• If you want to freeze more than one row or column at the same time, you can use this feature to get your desired output.
• If you want to freeze the first four rows in your dataset, select the 5th row and Under the View Tab, go to Freeze Panes and click on Freeze Panes.

The first four rows are now locked from your dataset.

For example, if you want to freeze both of your rows and columns, follow as below:

• Select the cell that is under your last desired row and last desired column to freeze. For example, if you want to freeze the first two rows and the first column, then select cell C2.
• Click on Freeze Panes under the View Tab as shown in below image.

To quickly unfreeze the rows or columns follow the below steps:

1. Go to the View tab.
2. Under the Window group, go to Freeze Panes.
3. Select Unfreeze Panes.

Let’s look at some of the practical scenarios where Freeze Panes can be very helpful:

• Financial Reports: When working with financial reports that include various tabs and datasets such as monthly revenue, incomes and expenses, profit and loss, freezing the top row which has headers or the name of months or freezing the first column which has categories, types or department names makes it easier to compare data without losing track of what each amount represents.
• Attendance Sheets: As we saw in our examples, if you have a list of Employee Codes or Employee Names, freezing the first column or first two columns helps you scroll to see attendance for every month so you don’t lose track of which employee you are looking at.
• Project Tracking: Freezing the first row which contains task details ensures the name of the task is visible when you are scrolling through the deadlines or date of completion.

Below are a few tips you can use:

• When freezing multiple rows or columns in your worksheet, make sure you are selecting the correct cell. Everything towards the left and above will be locked or frozen.
• If you are working on large datasets, Freezing the rows and columns helps you keep important information visible when scrolling.
• Don’t forget to unfreeze the panes if you no longer require them to avoid further confusion when navigating through the sheet.

A most required feature in Excel simplifies the workflow by keeping the required rows and columns visible when working on large spreadsheets such as managing financial data, attendance tracking etc.