How to Freeze Cells in Excel: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide

• Omar Haddad
• . November 25, 2025
• . Update: November 25, 2025 7:20 pm
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It is also very convenient to learn how to freeze cells in excel so that working with the large spreadsheets becomes easier. Freezing enables you to maintain significant rows or columns when going through large data. In analyzing financial sheets and handling of reports and tabling, freeze feature makes sure that the headers and labels are frozen and hence easier to navigate. In this tutorial, you would know how to freeze cells in excel, top rows, first columns and more than one row and column. You will also learn how to open panes every time you feel like. It is a tutorial that is appropriate to the novice and the professional as well, in an attempt to have an easier workflow.

Understanding the Freeze Panes Feature

The Freeze Panes feature of Excel allows the user to freeze certain rows or columns so that navigation becomes easier. You may freeze top row or first column or you may freeze several rows and columns at the same time. These are better to read data particularly on large spreadsheets to use in reporting, analytics, and data input as well as running business.

How to Freeze the Top Row in Excel

It is also useful in case the first row has headers or labels and the rest are frozen.

Steps:

1. Go to the View tab.
2. Click Freeze Panes.
3. Select Freeze Top Row.
   

Shortcut: Click Alt + W + F + R and the top row will be frozen immediately.

This will hold your row of header at the top as you scroll up and down the sheet.

How to Freeze the First Column

In case the first column contains significant titles or categories in it, it is better to freeze it to make it readable.

Steps:

1. Open the View tab.
2. Click Freeze Panes.
3. Select Freeze First Column.
   

Shortcut Keyboard: Alt + W + F + C is used to freeze the first column.

Now you can scroll horizontally without losing sight of the key categories.

How to Freeze Multiple Rows and Columns

To freeze the row and the column simultaneously, one should choose the appropriate reference cell.

Steps:

1. Click on the cell at the bottom of the row that you wish to freeze and the right bottom cell at the column to which you wish to freeze. Example: In order to freeze the top two rows and the first three columns, you may select cell D3.
2. Go to the View tab.
3. Click Freeze Panes.
4. Select Freeze Panes in the dropdown.

This is the best technique to use when dealing with massive data where the row and column headers must remain in view.

How to Unfreeze Panes in Excel

The number of sections that are frozen that you would wish to remove is:

Steps:

1. Go to the View tab.
2. Click Freeze Panes.
3. Select Unfreeze Panes.
   

This puts the worksheet back to normal scrolling mode.

Why Freezing Cells Improves Productivity

• Retains headers on the surface so that they are easily accessible.
• Improves preciseness in entry of data.
• Enhances navigation within the large spreadsheets.
• Minimizes inaccuracies in interpreting complicated information.
• Helps is very organized in sharing files with others.

Learning how to freeze cells in Excel streamlines your workflow and also makes it more efficient in areas of work where accuracy and speed count such as in the work place.