How to Freeze Panes in Excel (Rows and Columns Simultaneously)

Freeze Panes keeps selected rows or columns visible while you scroll, which is essential for large tables.

Freeze the top row

Go to View → Freeze Panes → Freeze Top Row. Row 1 stays on screen while you scroll down.

Freeze the first column

Go to View → Freeze Panes → Freeze First Column. Column A stays visible while you scroll right.

Freeze rows and columns together

Here the cell you click first matters. Excel freezes everything above and to the left of the selected cell.

1. To freeze row 1 and column A, click cell B2.
2. Go to View → Freeze Panes → Freeze Panes.

To freeze the top three rows and the first two columns, click C4 first.

Unfreeze

Go to View → Freeze Panes → Unfreeze Panes.

Troubleshooting

• If the frozen rows are not the ones you wanted, unfreeze and reselect the cell.
• If the option is greyed out, you are in Page Layout view or editing a cell. Press Esc and switch to Normal view.
• If part of the header is hidden at the top, scroll to the top before freezing.

Shortcut: press Alt, W, F, F one key at a time to freeze panes at the selected cell.