How to Freeze a Row in Excel (Freeze Panes)

To freeze a row in Excel, click the cell just below the row you want to keep visible, then go to View → Freeze Panes → Freeze Panes. Everything above your selection stays on screen as you scroll. For the top row only, use View → Freeze Top Row — it’s a single click.

Freeze the top row (one click)

1. Open the View tab.
2. Click Freeze Panes.
3. Choose Freeze Top Row.

Row 1 now stays put no matter how far down you scroll. This is the fix for almost every “my headers disappeared” moment.

Freeze a row (and columns) anywhere

To keep several rows — or rows and columns — visible at once:

1. Click the cell below and to the right of what should stay frozen. To freeze rows 1–3 and columns A–B, click cell C4.
2. Go to View → Freeze Panes → Freeze Panes.

Everything above and to the left of that cell locks. That’s the rule to remember: the freeze happens above and left of the selected cell.

Freeze the first column

1. Click cell B1 (or the first cell of the next column).
2. View → Freeze Panes → Freeze Panes.

Column A stays visible while you scroll sideways — useful for names or IDs on wide sheets.

Unfreeze

Go to View → Freeze Panes → Unfreeze Panes. The option is greyed out if nothing is frozen, so if you can’t click it, nothing is locked.

Freeze panes in Google Sheets

The idea is identical, the menu differs:

1. Click the row below the one you want to keep (or a cell in it).
2. Go to View → Freeze → Up to current row (or Up to current column).
3. Remove it with View → Freeze → No rows.

Google Sheets also shows drag handles at the top-left corner of the grid, which you can pull down manually.

Common problems

When freezing actually matters

Freezing is what makes a long sheet readable: you keep the header row in sight while scrolling through hundreds of records. It pairs well with other clarity tools — sorting data (see how to sort in Excel), conditional formatting to flag values, and pivot tables when you need a summary.

FAQ

How do I freeze a row in Excel?

Click the cell just below the row you want frozen, then View → Freeze Panes → Freeze Panes. For row 1 only, use View → Freeze Top Row.

How do I freeze multiple rows in Excel?

Click the cell below the last row you want to keep visible (e.g. A4 to freeze rows 1–3), then View → Freeze Panes → Freeze Panes.

How do I freeze a column and a row at the same time?

Click the cell below and to the right of the intersection — for rows 1–2 and columns A–B, click C3 — then Freeze Panes.

How do I unfreeze panes in Excel?

View → Freeze Panes → Unfreeze Panes. It’s greyed out when nothing is frozen.

Can I freeze a row in Google Sheets?

Yes — View → Freeze → Up to current row. It behaves the same way as Excel’s freeze panes.