If you have a long spreadsheet, you might scroll until row labels are out of view. Fortunately, there’s an easy fix. Let’s learn how to freeze rows in Excel.
How to Freeze the Top Row in Excel
Often, you’ll have column labels in the first row (row 1) of your Excel sheet. Of course, these are easy to see if you only have a few rows of data. But imagine if you have hundreds, or even thousands of rows. When you’re working on row 500, for example, it would be helpful to see the column labels. Freezing the top row is the easiest way to do this.
With any cell in the worksheet selected, find the View tab on Excel’s ribbon. Near the center, you’ll see the Freeze Top Row button.
Click this, then start scrolling through your spreadsheet. As you can see, row 1 always remains in view. In essence, Excel places it above your other rows of data. This is a great way to stay focused and ensure you understand your data fully.
How to Freeze Multiple Rows in Excel
Freezing row 1 is quick and easy, but you may want to freeze multiple rows at the same time. For example, you may want to keep rows 1, 2, and 3 visible at all times.
The trick with freezing multiple rows is to always click and select the first row that you don’t want to freeze. In this case, that’s row 4.
With that in mind, go ahead and click on row number 4 to highlight the row. Then, back on the View tab, click Freeze Panes.
All three rows will freeze, remaining visible however far you scroll. It’s as simple as that.
Need to unfreeze rows? That option is on the View tab, too. Simply click Unfreeze Panes, and your view will return to normal.
As you can see, freezing rows is easy in Microsoft Excel.
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