How to Freeze Panes in Excel Without Freezing the First Row

To freeze rows or columns other than the first row in Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows, 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, select C4 to keep rows 1–3 and columns A–B on screen while you scroll.

What You’ll Need

A worksheet with the rows or columns you want to keep visible. Freeze Panes works on the active worksheet, so repeat the setup separately on other sheets if needed.
Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows, or Excel for Mac or the web. The menu wording or placement can vary slightly between versions, but the selection principle is the same.
A clear idea of which rows and columns should stay on screen. Excel freezes a continuous block starting at the top of the sheet and the left edge; it cannot freeze scattered rows or columns independently.

Step-by-Step

Open the worksheet and check the layout. Identify the last row you want to keep visible and the last column you want to keep visible. For example, if rows 1 through 3 contain a title, date range, and column headings, and columns A and B contain identifying information, you will freeze those first three rows and first two columns. Make sure the information is where you expect it; Freeze Panes always works from the top and left edges of the worksheet.
Remove any existing freeze setting if necessary. Go to View > Freeze Panes. If the menu shows Unfreeze Panes as an available command, click it before setting a different freeze point. Excel can have only one freeze configuration active on a worksheet at a time. Unfreezing does not delete or move data; it simply lets the whole sheet scroll together again.
Select the cell that marks the freeze boundary. Click the cell one row below the last row you want to freeze and one column to the right of the last column you want to freeze. To keep rows 1–3 and columns A–B visible, select C4. To freeze rows only, select a cell in column A below those rows, such as A4. To freeze columns only, select a cell in row 1 to the right of those columns, such as C1.
Enter a cell address directly if it is hard to click. You can use the Name Box, the small address field to the left of the formula bar. Click it, type the boundary cell address, such as C4, and press Enter. Check that the intended cell is selected in the grid before continuing. This is useful on a large worksheet where the target row or column is not currently visible.
Apply the custom freeze. On Windows, open the View tab, choose Freeze Panes in the Window group, and choose Freeze Panes from the dropdown. Do not choose Freeze Top Row or Freeze First Column for a custom boundary: those commands apply a preset, rather than using the selected cell to determine both boundaries. Excel will draw a line at the edge of the frozen area.
Test the result by scrolling. Scroll down and across the worksheet. With C4 selected, rows 1–3 should remain at the top and columns A–B should remain at the left, while the rest of the sheet moves. If you froze rows only, test vertical scrolling; if you froze columns only, test horizontal scrolling. A quick test confirms that the selected boundary was correct before you continue working.
Adjust it if the wrong area stayed visible. Return to View > Freeze Panes > Unfreeze Panes, select the correct boundary cell, and apply Freeze Panes again. For example, if you meant to keep rows 1–4 and columns A–B, the correct cell is C5, not C4. A custom freeze can be changed by unfreezing and applying a new one; you do not need to rebuild the worksheet.
Use the equivalent menu on other platforms. In Excel for Mac, select the boundary cell and use the Freeze Panes command on the View tab; menu labels and arrangement may differ by release. In Excel for the web, select the cell and look under View for Freeze Panes or the freeze-at-selection command. If the web interface offers only preset choices in your current layout, open the workbook in the desktop app to set a custom boundary.

Worked example: Suppose a report has a two-line title in rows 1–2, headings in row 3, and employee ID and name in columns A–B. Select C4 and choose View > Freeze Panes > Freeze Panes. When you scroll down to later employees, the title and headings remain visible; when you scroll right to later report fields, the employee ID and name remain visible too. If you want only the headings and identifying columns frozen, select C4 only if those are in rows 1–3 and columns A–B; otherwise select the cell that matches the actual last row and column to retain.

Common Mistakes

Choosing Freeze Top Row by habit. That preset freezes only row 1. It will not keep a heading on row 4 visible, for example. Use the general Freeze Panes command after selecting the boundary cell whenever the desired row is not the first row or you need both rows and columns frozen.
Selecting the cell you want to freeze instead of the boundary. Excel freezes the rows above the active cell and the columns to its left. Selecting B3 therefore keeps rows 1–2 and column A, not row 3 or column B. Move one row down and one column right from the block you intend to retain.
Using the wrong freeze preset after selecting a cell. Freeze Top Row and Freeze First Column are fixed presets. Selecting C4 first does not make those options freeze rows 1–3 and columns A–B. Choose Freeze Panes itself for a selection-based result.
Forgetting an old freeze is active. If you cannot set the new boundary as expected, first choose Unfreeze Panes and then repeat the selection. Also confirm that you are on the intended worksheet; freeze settings apply separately to each sheet.
Expecting separated areas to stay visible. Excel freezes contiguous rows from the top and contiguous columns from the left. It cannot keep only row 1 and row 5 fixed while rows 2–4 scroll, for example. Consider rearranging the sheet or using a separate summary area if you need a different layout.

Tips

Plan the boundary before clicking. Write down the last row and column to retain, then move one cell down and right to find the selection. This avoids confusing the content you want visible with the cell that sets the boundary.
Freeze both headings and identifiers when useful. In a wide table, keeping descriptive fields such as an ID and name visible makes values in distant columns easier to interpret. For two frozen columns and four frozen rows, select C5.
Use only the dimensions you need. If you want rows 1–4 fixed but no frozen columns, select A5. If you want columns A–C fixed but no frozen rows, select D1. There is no need to freeze both directions just because the command is called Freeze Panes.
Keep the frozen area reasonably small. Freezing many rows or columns leaves less room for the scrolling part of the sheet, particularly on a small display. Include only the labels or identifiers readers need while navigating.
Remember that freezing affects the view, not the data. It does not lock cells against editing, protect a worksheet, or change sorting and filtering. If you need to prevent edits, use sheet protection separately; if you need headings to repeat on printed pages, configure print titles instead.
Check the worksheet at your usual zoom and window size. A frozen block that looks comfortable on a large monitor may take up most of the available space on a laptop. You can change the zoom or window size without changing which rows and columns are frozen.

Troubleshooting

The wrong row or column remains visible. Unfreeze the current setting, then calculate the boundary again. To keep rows 1–6 and columns A–D, select E7. Excel freezes everything above and left of that cell, not the selected cell itself. Apply the general Freeze Panes command and scroll to verify the result.

The Freeze Panes option appears unavailable or does not respond. Check whether the worksheet is protected or whether you are editing a cell. Finish or cancel cell editing with Enter or Esc, and, if appropriate, remove sheet protection using the workbook’s authorized password. Also check that the workbook is open in an editable mode rather than a restricted view. If one of the preset commands is available but the custom command is not, try the desktop Excel app.

The sheet scrolls, but the headings still disappear. Confirm that the headings are in the rows above your selected boundary. If the heading is in row 5 and you selected A5, row 5 is not included; select A6 to freeze through row 5. If you want to retain both that row and columns, select a cell below and to the right of both desired blocks.

A thick line is visible in an unexpected place. That line marks the edge of the frozen area. If it is not where you intended, choose Unfreeze Panes and reset the selection. Do not confuse Freeze Panes with Split: Split divides the worksheet into separately scrollable sections, while Freeze Panes keeps the top and left portions stationary as the remaining area scrolls.

The layout differs in Mac or web Excel. Look on the View tab for the freeze controls, and check the command names shown in your particular release. Select the boundary cell before choosing a selection-based freeze. If the web app does not expose the custom selection option, open the workbook in Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows or Mac, set the panes there, and save the workbook.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I freeze a row that is not the first row?

Select the cell in column A directly below the last row you want to keep visible, then choose View > Freeze Panes > Freeze Panes. To keep rows 1–4, select A5. The command freezes all rows above the selection, not just one isolated row.

Can I freeze a row and a column at the same time?

Yes. Select the cell below the rows and to the right of the columns you want to retain. For example, C4 freezes rows 1–3 and columns A–B. Use the general Freeze Panes option, not either single-direction preset.

Can I freeze only the second or third row without freezing the rows above it?

No. Freeze Panes keeps a continuous block from the top of the worksheet. Freezing through row 3 also keeps rows 1 and 2 visible. Excel does not offer a setting to freeze a single interior row while the rows above it scroll independently.

Does Freeze Panes stop other people from changing cells?

No. It changes how the sheet scrolls on screen; it does not protect or lock cells. Use worksheet protection if you need to restrict edits, and configure freeze panes separately for easier navigation.

How do I remove or change a freeze?

Choose View > Freeze Panes > Unfreeze Panes. Then select a new boundary cell and apply Freeze Panes again. Unfreezing changes the view only and does not remove worksheet content.

Will the freeze setting apply to every worksheet in the workbook?

No. The setting applies to the active worksheet. Set it individually on each sheet where you want frozen rows or columns, and check each sheet after switching tabs.

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

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