Sometimes, when working with Excel documents, you may need to keep a spreadsheet section visible as you scroll through the rest of the worksheet. It is especially handy when you are working with a large Excel worksheet. Keeping a row or column locked makes your work easier as you can view the contents of the locked panes or refer to them as you work.
You can easily achieve this via Freeze Panes feature in Excel. Our guide below gives you the steps to follow when you wish to freeze in Excel top and side. Let’s get started.
Steps to follow to freeze top and side
To freeze the top and side of your worksheet, you will need to utilize the Freeze Pane feature to achieve. With this command, you will be able to freeze the top (row) and the side (column) of your worksheet.
How to freeze the top row in Excel
1. In an open Excel workbook, scroll through the worksheet and locate the row that you want to freeze. To select the row, click on the row number on the left side pane of the worksheet to highlight it.
2. Go to the menu ribbon and click on the View
3. In the Windows group, click on the drop-down arrow that is on the Freeze Panes
4. Click on the option Freeze Top Row in the drop-down list.
5. You will notice Excel automatically inserts a thin line to show you where the frozen row begins. The row remains locked once you scroll through the worksheet.
Freezing the side in your worksheet
1. In an open Excel workbook, scroll through the worksheet and locate the column that you want to freeze. To select the column, click on the column letter on the top of the worksheet to highlight it.
2. Go to the main ribbon and click on the View
3. In the Windows group, click on the drop-down arrow that is on the Freeze Panes
4. Click on the option Freeze First Column in the displayed drop-down list.
5. You will notice Excel automatically inserts a thin line to show you where the frozen column begins. The column remains locked once you scroll through the worksheet to the right and left.
How to freeze the top and side of your Excel worksheet simultaneously
1. In an open Excel workbook, select the cell in the upper left corner of the range that you want to remain locked.
2. Go to the main ribbon and click on the View
3. In the Windows group, click on the drop-down arrow that is on the Freeze Panes
4. In the displayed drop-down list, click on the option Freeze Panes
5. You will notice Excel automatically inserts two thin lines to show you where the frozen panes begin. The panes remain locked once you scroll through the worksheet.
Unfreezing locked rows, columns, and panes
1. Select the frozen cells you want to unlock in an open Excel workbook.
2. Go to the main ribbon and click on the View
3. In the Windows group, click on the drop-down arrow that is on the Freeze Panes
4. Click on the option Unfreeze Panes in the displayed drop-down list.
Download practice workbook
How to freeze panes practice sheet
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I cannot freeze simultaneously the top and side.
Hello Mike, You can freeze the top and side simultaneously by selecting the top row and the firs column (Use Ctrl plus right click to select them). Then navigate to view and select freeze panes. Alternatively, you can open the freeze panes options under the view tab, the select freeze top row and freeze first column respectively.
I understand that you are having trouble freezing both the top and side in Excel at the same time. Freezing panes in Excel can be a bit tricky, but it is possible to achieve the desired result with the right approach. One way to do this is to select the cell just below the last row and to the right of the last column you want to freeze, and then click on “View” > “Freeze Panes” > “Freeze Panes”. This should freeze both the top and side of your worksheet. I hope this helps!