Excel Freeze Panes: Unfreeze Rows and Columns

To remove frozen rows or columns in Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows, select the worksheet, then choose View > Freeze Panes > Unfreeze Panes. This clears the freeze setting for that worksheet without deleting or changing any cell data.

Remove Freeze Panes in Excel for Windows

Freeze Panes is a worksheet view setting, so first make sure the sheet you want to change is active. Then use the ribbon path above. When the command completes, the frozen rows and columns scroll with the rest of the sheet instead of staying fixed at the top or left.

Click any cell in the worksheet with the frozen area. You do not need to select the frozen rows or columns.
Open the View tab on the ribbon.
Open Freeze Panes.
Choose Unfreeze Panes.

If you do not see Unfreeze Panes, Excel may not have a Freeze Panes setting active on the current sheet. Check that you are on the intended worksheet: a workbook can have different freeze settings on different sheets. Also check whether the relevant area is actually a split window rather than frozen panes; those features have separate controls.

What Freeze Panes Does

Freeze Panes keeps selected rows, columns, or both visible while you scroll through the rest of a worksheet. It is useful when a long list has headings at the top or identifiers in the first few columns. For example, a sales sheet might keep its heading row visible while you scroll down through hundreds of transactions.

Excel decides what to freeze based on the active cell when you apply the general Freeze Panes command. It freezes the rows above that cell and the columns to its left. If you select cell C4 and choose View > Freeze Panes > Freeze Panes, rows 1 through 3 and columns A and B stay in place. The selected cell itself is not part of the frozen area.

Excel also offers preset commands for Freeze Top Row and Freeze First Column. These are convenient when you only need one heading row or the leftmost column to remain visible. Unfreeze Panes removes the current freeze arrangement, whether it came from a preset or from a selected cell.

Excel on Mac and Excel for the Web

In Excel for Mac, activate the worksheet and use the View tab, then open Freeze Panes and choose Unfreeze Panes. The ribbon layout can differ slightly between Excel builds, but look for the Freeze Panes control on View. Mac keyboard shortcuts and ribbon navigation differ from Windows, so using the visible command is the clearest option.

In Excel for the web, select the sheet and use View > Freeze Panes > Unfreeze Panes when that command is available in the ribbon. The browser version’s interface can vary as Microsoft updates it, and some workbook features may behave differently from the desktop app. If the command is missing or the workbook opens in a restricted editing state, open it in the desktop Excel app if you have access, remove the freeze there, and save the workbook.

In all versions, the change applies to the active worksheet, not automatically to every sheet in the workbook. If several sheets have frozen areas, visit each one and repeat the command. Saving the workbook preserves its updated view settings for future openings.

Remove a Freeze or Change Which Areas Stay Visible

Unfreeze Panes removes the whole freeze arrangement on the active sheet. It does not offer a way to remove just the frozen rows while leaving frozen columns in place, or vice versa. To keep one part frozen but change another, first unfreeze everything and then apply the arrangement you want.

To keep only the top row visible, choose View > Freeze Panes > Freeze Top Row.
To keep only the first column visible, choose View > Freeze Panes > Freeze First Column.
To freeze a custom combination, select the cell immediately below the rows and immediately to the right of the columns you want to keep visible, then choose View > Freeze Panes > Freeze Panes.

For example, to keep the first two rows and first column visible, select B3 before applying Freeze Panes. If the sheet already has an arrangement you no longer want, unfreeze it first so that you are starting from a clear state. These commands affect how the sheet scrolls; they do not move, hide, or lock the cells.

Common Problems and How to Diagnose Them

If the worksheet still appears divided after you choose Unfreeze Panes, look for a split line. Split divides the worksheet window into independently scrollable sections, and it is separate from Freeze Panes. To remove a split, go to View > Split and turn the command off. A split line can resemble the boundary of a frozen area, which is why the two features are easy to confuse.

If the Unfreeze Panes command is unavailable, try these checks:

Confirm the active sheet. Click the sheet tab that has the issue. A freeze on another tab will not be removed by changing the current sheet.
Check for a split. If the panes can scroll independently, use the Split command rather than looking for a freeze setting.
Look at the View controls. The menu may show Freeze Panes when no panes are frozen, and Unfreeze Panes when a freeze is active. The displayed command is a useful clue.
Check the workbook’s editing state. If you have opened a read-only copy or lack permission to edit, you may need an editable copy before you can save a change.

Another common misconception is that frozen rows are hidden or protected. They are not: freezing only affects the on-screen view while scrolling. Unfreezing does not reveal hidden rows, remove worksheet protection, or change filters. If some data is missing, check row or column hiding, filters, grouping, and sheet protection separately.

Examples of When to Unfreeze

Unfreezing can make sense when you are reorganizing a sheet, reviewing it on a small screen, or navigating a section where fixed headings take up too much of the visible area. It can also help when someone else’s workbook opens with a view arrangement that is inconvenient for your task. Since the command does not alter data, it is a low-risk way to change how you inspect a sheet.

Consider a report that freezes the first four rows and the first two columns. This might be helpful while comparing records far down the list, but the fixed area could occupy too much of a laptop window. Choose Unfreeze Panes to restore ordinary scrolling. If you later need only the column labels, freeze the top row again rather than recreating the original four-row, two-column setup.

For a shared workbook, remember that view settings can affect how the file appears when another person opens it, depending on the workbook and app behavior. If the existing freeze is intentional, ask before changing the shared file or save a separate copy for your own viewing. Unfreezing does not erase the author’s data, but it does change the sheet’s saved display arrangement if you save over the original.

Freeze Panes Compared with Other View Tools

Freeze Panes is not the only way to make a large worksheet easier to navigate. The right option depends on whether you need fixed headings, independent scrolling, or a different view of the same data.

Split: Creates separate scrollable sections in one worksheet window. Use it when you want to compare distant areas, not merely keep headings fixed. Turn it off with View > Split.
Hide rows or columns: Removes selected rows or columns from view until they are unhidden. This changes visibility, unlike freezing, which keeps cells visible while scrolling.
Filters: Display only records that meet criteria. A filter changes which rows are shown; it does not pin headings in place. You can use filters together with frozen panes.
Zoom: Changes the scale of the worksheet display. It may let more columns fit on screen, but it does not keep any row or column stationary.

If the goal is simply to read column labels in a long table, freezing the heading row is usually more appropriate than splitting the window. If the goal is to compare a top summary with details far below, Split may be more useful. Understanding the distinction helps avoid repeatedly changing the wrong view control.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Unfreeze Panes delete any data?
No. It removes the worksheet’s frozen-view setting. Cell contents, formulas, formatting, and row or column positions remain unchanged.

Can I unfreeze just the top row and keep the first column frozen?
Not directly with a separate unfreeze command. Choose Unfreeze Panes to clear the existing arrangement, then apply the custom arrangement you want. Select the cell below and to the right of the areas that should remain fixed before choosing Freeze Panes.

Why does the sheet still have a line across it after I unfreeze?
The line may be a split rather than a freeze boundary. Use View > Split to turn off the split. Also consider whether gridlines or borders in the worksheet are creating the line you see.

Do I have to select a particular cell to unfreeze panes?
No. Click anywhere on the affected worksheet, then use View > Freeze Panes > Unfreeze Panes. Cell selection matters when creating a custom freeze, not when removing one.

Do I need to repeat this on every worksheet?
Yes, if multiple sheets have their own frozen areas. Activate each affected sheet and unfreeze it separately; changing one sheet does not clear the freeze settings on the others.

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Sources: Function behaviour and menu paths: Microsoft Support documentation for Excel. Method & sources

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