Freezing Columns and Rows of an Excel Sheet - Microsoft Excel Tip

While editing large Microsoft Excel spread sheets which span across multiple pages, locking header rows and columns helps a lot. When header rows and columns are locked they will be always visible even if user scrolls to different pages. In excel this is called as Freezing Panes. Microsoft Excel allows users to freeze any number of rows at top of the screen and columns on the left of the screen.

Let’s see how to freeze first row and first column of a Excel sheet

1. Move to the cell B2
2. Select the menu Windows -->Freeze Panes

In general to freeze a row we should move to the cell below the row which we want to freeze and select menu Windows -->Freeze Panes. And in order to freeze one or more columns we should move right to the column which we want to freeze and select menu Windows --> Freeze Panes.

Update: In Windows Vista menus for freezing panes are available in the ribbon View.