How to freeze and unfreeze columns or rows in Microsoft Excel

Freezing a column or row in a spreadsheet program, also known as freezing panes in Microsoft Excel, keeps them from changing as you examine a worksheet.
For example, you may want the titles of the categories in a header to display after the numbers as you scroll down so you don’t lose sight of the data.

The sections that follow will show you how to utilize freeze panes in Microsoft Excel.

Freezing a Row or Column

1. Open an existing spreadsheet in Excel or create a new one.
2. Click the View tab at the top of the screen.
3. To the right of the View section, click Freeze Panes.
4. From the drop-down menu, choose Freeze Top Row or Freeze First Column.
5. The top row or first column, depending on your preference, is now locked in place.
   Scroll down or to the right of the spreadsheet to test.

Unfreezing a Row or Column

1. Open a spreadsheet that has frozen rows or columns.
2. Click the View tab at the top of the screen.
3. To the right of the View section, click Freeze Panes.
4. From the drop-down option, choose Unfreeze Panes.