How to Freeze Rows and Columns in Excel: Step-by-Step Guide

Freezing panes in Excel helps you keep specific rows or columns visible while scrolling through the worksheet. This is very useful for headers or labels.

Step 1: Open Your Excel Worksheet

Open the workbook or spreadsheet where you want to freeze rows or columns.

Step 2: Select the Row or Column to Freeze

To freeze the top row only: Go to the "View" tab in the Ribbon.
To freeze the first column only: Go to the "View" tab.
To freeze multiple rows or columns: Select the cell just below the last row and right of the last column you want to freeze.

Step 3: Go to the View Tab

Click on the View tab in the Excel Ribbon menu at the top.

Step 4: Click on Freeze Panes

In the 'Window' group, click the Freeze Panes drop-down button.

Here you will see options:

Freeze Panes: Freezes everything above and to the left of your selected cell.
Freeze Top Row: Freezes only the first row of your sheet.
Freeze First Column: Freezes only the first column.

Step 5: Choose Freeze Option

For freezing the top row only, choose Freeze Top Row.
For freezing the first column only, choose Freeze First Column.
For freezing multiple rows and columns, select the cell below and right of the rows and columns you want frozen and choose Freeze Panes.