Excel Tutorials: How to create Excel Freeze Panes Step by Step

Freeze Panes Overview

Lock Columns and Rows in Excel with Freeze Panes

© Ted French

For more Excel tips and tricks go to my static page:  Excel Tutorials and Tricks Series. 

Excel Freeze Panes Overview

Related article: Freeze Panes in Excel 2003.

When working with very large spreadsheets headings located at the top and down the left side of the worksheet often disappear if you scroll too far to the right or down. Without the headings, it's hard to keep track of which column or row of data you are looking at.
To avoid this problem use Excel's freeze panes feature. It "freezes" or locks specific columns or rows of the spreadsheet so that they remain visible at all times.

This tutorial covers the freeze panes options in Excel 2007.

Freeze the Top Row

Lock Columns and Rows in Excel with Freeze Panes

© Ted French

Freeze the Top Row

1. Click on the View tab.


2. Click on Freeze Panes from the ribbon to open the features drop down list.


3. Click on Freeze Top Row option in the list.
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4. A black border should appear beneath row 1 in the worksheet indicating that the area above the line has been "frozen".


5. Scroll down through the worksheet. If you scroll far enough, the rows below row 1 will begin disappearing while row 1 will stay on the screen.

Freeze the First Column

Lock Columns and Rows in Excel with Freeze Panes

© Ted French

Freeze the First Column

1. Click on the View tab.


2. Click on Freeze Panes from the ribbon to open the features drop down list.


3. Click on Freeze First Column option in the list.


4. A black border should appear to the right of column A in the worksheet indicating that the area to the right of the line has been "frozen".


5. Scroll to the right in the worksheet. If you scroll far enough, the columns to the right of column A will begin disappearing while column A will stay on the screen.

Freeze Both Columns and Rows

Lock Columns and Rows in Excel with Freeze Panes

© Ted French

Freeze Panes Using the Active Cell

TheFreeze Panes option freezes all the rows above the active cell and all the columns to the left of the active cell.

To freeze only those columns and rows you want to stay on screen, click on the cell to the right of the columns and just below the rows that you want to remain on screen.
Example of freezing panes using the active cell

To keep rows 1, 2, and 3 on the screen and columns A and B:

1. Click in cell C4 with the mouse to make it the active cell.


2. Click on the View tab.


3. Click on Freeze Panes from the ribbon to open the features drop down list.


4. Click on Freeze Panes option in the list.


5. A black border should appear to the right of column B in the worksheet and below row 3 indicating that the areas above and to the right of the lines have been "frozen".


6. Scroll to the right in the worksheet. If you scroll far enough, the columns to the right of column B will begin disappearing while columns A and B will stay on the screen.


7. Scroll down through the worksheet. If you scroll far enough, the rows below row 3 will begin disappearing while rows 1, 2, and 3 will stay on the screen.

Unfreeze Columns and Rows

Lock Columns and Rows in Excel with Freeze Panes

© Ted French

To Unfreeze Columns and Rows

1. Click on the View tab.


2. Click on Freeze Panes from the ribbon to open the features drop down list.


3. Click on Unfreeze Panes option in the list.


4. The black border(s) showing the frozen columns and rows should disappear from the worksheet.