Freeze Panes in Excel: Keep Rows and Columns Visible

To lock rows or columns in place while you scroll in Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows, select the cell just below and to the right of the area you want to keep visible, then choose View > Freeze Panes > Freeze Panes. For example, select C2 to keep row 1 and columns A:B on screen. Freeze Panes keeps headings or identifiers visible; it does not protect cells from editing.

What You’ll Need

An Excel workbook with the worksheet you want to work on.
A clear idea of which top rows and leftmost columns should remain visible. Excel freezes complete rows above and complete columns to the left of the selected cell, not isolated cells.
Access to Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows, or Excel for Mac or the web. The names and locations of the commands can vary slightly between versions.

Step-by-Step

Open the correct worksheet. Freeze Panes affects the active worksheet only. If the workbook has several tabs, click the tab containing the table you plan to scroll through. If your headings are not in the first row, note their row number before choosing a command.
Decide what must stay visible. To keep only the first row visible, use Freeze Top Row. To keep only the first column visible, use Freeze First Column. To keep multiple rows, multiple columns, or both, identify the first cell that should scroll. Everything above that cell will stay visible as rows, and everything to its left will stay visible as columns.
Select the correct cell for a custom freeze. Click the cell immediately below the last row you want to hold in place and immediately to the right of the last column you want to hold in place. To freeze the top two rows and the first column, select B3. To freeze rows 1 through 4 and columns A through C, select D5. The selected cell itself is not frozen.
Open the View tab. On the Windows ribbon, click View. Find the Window group and click Freeze Panes. A menu opens with Freeze Panes, Freeze Top Row, Freeze First Column, and, if panes are already frozen, Unfreeze Panes.
Apply the custom setting or a preset. If you selected a cell for a custom layout, click Freeze Panes at the top of the menu. If you need only the top row, click Freeze Top Row instead; for just the leftmost column, choose Freeze First Column. These preset commands do not require you to select a cell first.
Check the result by scrolling. Use the mouse wheel, scroll bars, or trackpad to move down and across the sheet. The frozen rows should remain at the top and frozen columns at the left, while the rest of the worksheet moves. Look for a thin line marking the boundary between frozen and scrolling areas.
Adjust it if the wrong area is fixed. Return to View > Freeze Panes > Unfreeze Panes. Then select the correct cell and apply Freeze Panes again. Excel generally allows one frozen-pane arrangement per worksheet, so remove the existing arrangement before making a different custom one.
Save the workbook. Save after confirming the layout. Freeze Pane settings are stored with the worksheet in the workbook, so the arrangement should remain when you close and reopen the saved file. If you are working on a shared or read-only file, confirm that your changes can be saved.

On Excel for Mac, select the cell in the same way and use View > Freeze Panes, then choose the applicable command. In Excel for the web, use the View tab and its Freeze Panes menu; available choices can depend on the web version. If you do not see the command, widen the browser window or check the View ribbon for a condensed menu.

Common Mistakes

Selecting the row or column you want to freeze instead of the cell after it. The selection determines the boundary. If you want rows 1 and 2 held, click a cell in row 3 before choosing Freeze Panes. If you want column A held, click a cell in column B or farther right.
Using Freeze Panes when a preset is enough. Freeze Top Row always keeps worksheet row 1, and Freeze First Column always keeps column A. If your headings begin on row 4, Freeze Top Row will not keep that heading row visible. Use a custom selection such as A5 to freeze rows 1 through 4.
Expecting a single middle row or column to stay put. The command freezes a continuous block from the top or left edge. It cannot hold row 5 while rows 1 through 4 scroll, or freeze column D without also freezing A through C. Rearrange the data or consider splitting the window if you need to compare distant sections.
Thinking frozen panes lock the data. Freeze Panes changes what remains in view; it does not prevent typing, deleting, sorting, or changing formulas. To restrict editing, use worksheet protection separately, and remember that protection is not a substitute for a secure backup or access control.
Confusing Freeze Panes with Split. Split divides a worksheet window into independently scrollable sections. Freeze Panes keeps selected top rows and left columns anchored. If the sheet has movable dividers or behaves like separate scrolling windows, check View for Split and turn it off if you intended to freeze panes.

Tips

Keep the frozen area small. Freezing several tall rows or many wide columns leaves less screen space for the data you need to inspect. Keep only the headings and identifiers that help you interpret the visible records.
Use a practical table example. If a sales list has headings in row 1 and customer names in column A, select B2 and choose Freeze Panes. The headings stay at the top and names stay at the left as you scroll through the list. If you need only the headings, Freeze Top Row is simpler.
Freeze multiple header rows deliberately. If a report uses rows 1 to 3 for a title, date, and column labels, select A4 before applying Freeze Panes. This holds all three rows while letting the data below move. If the title takes up space but is not useful during scrolling, freeze fewer rows instead.
Remember that the boundary is based on the active cell. For a combined freeze, Excel uses both its row and column position. For example, selecting C4 freezes rows 1 to 3 and columns A to B. Select A4 to freeze rows only, or C1 to freeze columns only.
Use the feature on long lists, not as a print setting. Frozen panes help on-screen navigation. They do not repeat headings on printed pages. To repeat print headings, use Page Layout > Print Titles and set the rows or columns to repeat.
Review the worksheet at your usual zoom. A frozen block that works at one zoom level may take up too much of a laptop screen at another. Adjust the zoom or reduce the frozen rows and columns if the scrolling area becomes too cramped.

Troubleshooting

Nothing appears to freeze. First scroll the worksheet far enough to see whether the top rows or left columns remain. Freezing row 1 may be subtle if the sheet is still at the top. If the setting is clearly not active, check View > Freeze Panes for Unfreeze Panes. If that option appears, a freeze is active; if not, repeat the selection and command.

The wrong rows or columns stay visible. Unfreeze the current panes, click the cell that forms the correct boundary, and apply Freeze Panes again. For example, if only row 1 should stay visible and columns should scroll, use Freeze Top Row rather than selecting a cell several columns to the right. For a custom freeze, double-check both the selected row and selected column before applying it.

The heading I need is not row 1. Do not use Freeze Top Row, because it refers specifically to worksheet row 1. To keep rows 1 through 5 visible, select A6 and use Freeze Panes. If you want to hold only a lower heading while earlier rows scroll, the standard freeze command cannot do that; consider rearranging the sheet or using Split for independently scrollable sections.

The option is unavailable or the worksheet will not behave normally. Make sure you are not editing a cell; press Enter or Esc to finish editing, then try again. Check whether the workbook is in a restricted or protected state, whether you are using a narrow or simplified ribbon, and whether the correct sheet is active. In Excel for the web, some controls may be tucked into the View menu or may differ from desktop Excel. If necessary, open the workbook in the desktop app and set the panes there.

The freeze disappears after reopening. Confirm that you saved the workbook after setting the panes and reopened the same file, not an earlier copy. If the file is shared, read-only, or stored in a location where saving failed, your change may not have been written. Save a new copy if you cannot overwrite the original, then reopen that copy to verify.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I freeze both rows and columns at the same time?
Yes. Select the cell below the rows and to the right of the columns to keep visible, then choose View > Freeze Panes > Freeze Panes. Selecting C2 holds row 1 and columns A:B.

How do I freeze the top two rows?
Select a cell in row 3, such as A3, then choose View > Freeze Panes > Freeze Panes. Excel freezes every row above the selected cell, so rows 1 and 2 remain visible.

Can I freeze a column other than column A?
You can freeze a block that includes columns A through the chosen boundary, but you cannot freeze a later column by itself with Freeze Panes. To keep A through C visible, select a cell in column D and apply Freeze Panes.

How do I remove frozen panes?
Choose View > Freeze Panes > Unfreeze Panes. This returns the worksheet to normal scrolling without changing or deleting its cell contents.

Does freezing panes affect other sheets in the workbook?
No. The setting applies to the active worksheet, not every sheet in the workbook. Set it separately on each worksheet where you want headings or identifying columns to remain visible.

Will frozen rows repeat when I print?
No. Freeze Panes is for viewing and scrolling on screen. For printed pages, use Page Layout > Print Titles to specify rows or columns to repeat.

Try it: the Date Difference Calculator: days, months, years and weekdays between two dates, with the DATEDIF formulas.

More in How-to basics

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

Spotted an error in this guide? Let us know.