Ravindra BagaleCourses & study guides

1. Excel Basics

1.7 Freeze Panes

Long data (thousands of orders) scrolls the header out of view. Freeze Panes keeps rows/columns visible.

Steps in Excel

  1. Freeze the header row only: View › Window › Freeze Panes › Freeze Top Row.
  2. Freeze first column only: View › Window › Freeze Panes › Freeze First Column.
  3. Freeze rows and columns together: click the cell below the rows and right of the columns you want frozen (e.g. C2 freezes row 1 and columns A:B) › View › Window › Freeze Panes › Freeze Panes.
  4. Undo: View › Window › Freeze Panes › Unfreeze Panes.

Worked example. In Orders (4,800 rows), Shahrukh clicks C2 and chooses Freeze Panes. While scrolling down, the header stays; while scrolling right, Order ID and Order Date stay visible.

Ravindra Bagale's Tip

Many students select the wrong cell when using Freeze Panes, and then a part in the middle gets frozen. Remember the rule: the rows above and the columns to the left of the selected cell are frozen. If you get it wrong, Unfreeze and do it again.

Practice task

Freeze row 1 and columns A:B of your Orders sheet. Then try View › Window › Split and compare it with Freeze Panes.