How to Freeze Panes and Rows in Excel in 60 Seconds

When you're working in a large Excel spreadsheet, it can really help to freeze a row or column so that it's always in a view. In this quick tutorial, learn how to freeze panes in Microsoft Excel.

How to Freeze Panes, Rows, & Columns in Excel (Quickly)

Note: Watch this short tutorial screencast or follow these quick steps that compliment this video:

1. How to Freeze the Top Row in Excel

In this spreadsheet I have a long list of data, and as I scroll down you'll see that I quickly lose sight of my titles at the top. Instead of having to scroll back at the top over and over to keep the column headers in view, we can freeze that top row. 

I'm going to highlight the first row by clicking on it on the left side. Now, let's go to the View menu, and choose Freeze Panes > Freeze Top Row, now, as I scroll down, it always stays in view.

2. How to Freeze the First Column in Excel

Let's do something similar with the first column, so that as we scroll left to right it stays in view as well. This time I'll click on the column header for Column A, and return to the same menu, and choose Freeze First Column. 

Now you'll see that as I move to the right, the first column stays in view so that we don't have to keep rolling back and forth.

Finishing Up!

If I wanted to undo all of this, I'll click in the upper-left corner of the sheet and then choose Freeze Panes > Unfreeze Panes. 

That will undo your freezing and reset the sheet view. That's all it takes to quickly freeze panes in Excel. 

More Helpful Microsoft Excel Tutorials on Envato Tuts+

Here are a few quick video tutorials to help take your learning further:  

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  How to Insert, Delete & Hide New Sheets in Excel in 60 Seconds

  

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  25 Apr 2017
• 

  How to Add Links to Excel in 60 Seconds

  

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• 

  How to Use AutoSum in Excel in 60 Seconds

  

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Dive into our series on How to Work With Excel Formulas. Also, find more great Envato Tuts+ Excel tutorials. Remember that the knowledge you learn about working with spreadsheets in Excel adds up quickly. Jump into one of the tutorials above, learn a bit more, and extend your understanding further.