How to Freeze and Unfreeze Panes in Excel

Last Updated: January 10, 2022

When you freeze a column or a row, it will stay visible when you're scrolling through that worksheet, which is a useful tool when you're comparing data. When you freeze columns or rows, they are referred to as "panes." This wikiHow will show you how to freeze and unfreeze panes to lock rows and columns in Excel.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Freezing a Single Panel

1
Open your project in Excel. You can either open the program within Excel by clicking File > Open, or you can right-click the file in your file explorer.
- This will work for Windows and Macs using Excel for Office 365, Excel for the web, Excel 2019, Excel 2016, Excel 2013, Excel 2010, Excel 2007.^{[1]
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  Research source}
2
Select a cell to the right of the column you want to freeze. The frozen columns will remain visible when you scroll through the worksheet.
- You can press Ctrl or Cmd as you click a cell to select more than one, or you can freeze each column individually.
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3
Click View. You'll see this either in the editing ribbon above the document space or at the top of your screen.
4
Click Freeze Panes. A menu will drop-down.
5
Click Freeze Panes. This will freeze the panes in the columns next to what you have selected.^{[2]
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Research source}
- You'll notice when you freeze panes if you scroll away and a column or row stays on the screen.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Freezing Multiple Panels

1
Open your project in Excel. You can either open the program within Excel by clicking File > Open, or you can right-click the file in your file explorer.
- This will work for Windows and Macs using Excel for Office 365, Excel for the web, Excel 2019, Excel 2016, Excel 2013, Excel 2010, Excel 2007.^{[3]
  X
  Research source}
2
Select a cell to the right of the column you want to freeze. The frozen columns will remain visible when you scroll through the worksheet.
3
Press the Ctrl or ⌘ Cmd key as you click. All the cells you click will be added to your selection when you have that key pressed.
- You can release the key when you are done making your selections.
4
Click View. You'll see this either in the editing ribbon above the document space or at the top of your screen.
5
Click Freeze Panes. A menu will dropdown.
6
Click Freeze Panes. This will freeze the panes in the columns next to what you have selected.^{[4]
X
Research source}
- You'll notice when you freeze panes if you scroll away and a column or row stays on the screen.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Unfreezing Panes

1
Open your project in Excel. You can either open the program within Excel by clicking File > Open, or you can right-click the file in your file explorer.
2
Go to View. You'll see a drop-down menu.
3
Click Freeze Panes. It's next to Arrange All and Split/Hide towards the right side of the toolbar.
4
Click Unfreeze Panes. This will unfreeze all the cells that you have frozen on the screen.