Excel Freeze Rows
Whenever you’re working with a lot of data, it can be difficult to compare information in your workbook. Fortunately, Excel includes several tools that make it easier to view content from different parts of your workbook at the same time, such as the ability to freeze panes and split your worksheet. This way you can keep rows or columns visible while scrolling through the rest of the worksheet.
Freeze Rows and Columns
Typically, you would want to lock the top row in Excel to see the column headers when you scroll down the sheet. To freeze panes to lock specific rows or columns on the worksheet, do one of the following:
- Select cells, ranges, rows, or columns for freeze:
- To lock rows, select the row below the row or rows that you want to keep visible when you scroll.
- To lock columns, select the column to the right of the column or columns that you want to keep visible when you scroll.
- To lock both rows and columns, click the cell below and to the right of the rows and columns that you want to keep visible when you scroll.
- On the View tab, in the Window group, click the arrow below Freeze Panes.
- Do one of the following:
- To lock one row only, click Freeze Top Row.
- To lock one column only, click Freeze First Column.
- To lock more than one row or column, or to lock both rows and columns at the same time, click Freeze Panes.
As you have just seen, freezing panes in Excel is one of the easiest tasks to perform. Note that you can freeze rows at the top and columns on the left side of the worksheet only. You cannot freeze rows and columns in the middle of the worksheet. The Freeze Panes command is not available when you are in cell editing mode or when a worksheet is protected.
Split Worksheet to Freeze Rows
Another situation is when you haven’t got enough space in the Worksheet. For example you need to have access to different parts of the sheet simultaneously. To avoid continuous scrolling, let’s split it. In order to split the window in Excel, first select one of the cells. Then go to the ribbon according to the path: View - Split. The screen was divided into four parts, which you can scroll independently! This is a great convenience in working with large data sheets.
Unfreeze Rows in Excel
Unfreezing panes is, fortunately, fairly simple: In Excel 2007/2010/2013 for Windows, choose the View menu, click the Freeze Panes button. The first option, which was Freeze Panes, is now Unfreeze Panes. Click that option and the frozen rows will be unfrozen.