Put your cursor in column A, on the row just under your headings, and pick View > Freeze Panes > Freeze Panes. Those headings remain on screen while the data beneath them moves past. To release them later, return to that tab and pick Unfreeze Panes, and the sheet behaves normally again.
The quick route to pinning header rows
A long list gets hard to follow the moment its headings vanish off the top of the window. You end up scrolling back up to remind yourself which figure sits under which label, then hunting for your place again. Pinning the top rows ends that back-and-forth.
- Open the View tab.
- Click the first cell under your headings.
- Make sure that cell is in column A.
- Open Freeze Panes.
- Pick Freeze Panes again from the list.
- Scroll down to test it.
Here's how that plays out on a typical sales tracker. Your report title lives in row 1 and your labels live in row 2, so you'd click A3. Rows 1 and 2 then sit fixed at the top while row 3 onwards slides underneath. Had you clicked C3 instead, columns A and B would be pinned too, because the feature holds everything above your chosen cell and everything to its left. Same menu, different result, and it all depends on where your cursor was.
Using Google Sheets? There's a separate walkthrough on freezing rows in Google Sheets.
Where each freeze option lives on desktop
Every variation runs from one menu. What changes is the cell you click before opening it. These examples assume a simple table with headings across the top.
| Goal | Example click | Menu choice |
|---|---|---|
| Pin headings in rows 1 and 2 | A3 | Freeze Panes |
| Pin rows 1 to 4 | A5 | Freeze Panes |
| Pin row 1 plus names in column A | B2 | Freeze Panes |
| Pin column A only | B1 | Freeze Panes |
| Pin columns A and B only | Column C | Freeze Panes |
| Release everything | Any cell | Unfreeze Panes |
There's a quick way to read that table. Count the rows you want held and add one: that's the row number to click. Then count the columns you want held and move that many letters along from A. Two heading rows and no columns gives you A3; one heading row and one name column gives you B2.
Pinning both directions is the move for wide tables. If customer names run down column A and months run across row 1, clicking B2 keeps both in sight however far you travel right or down. You never lose track of whose row you're reading or which month you've reached.
Want columns rather than rows? Pick the whole of column C before opening the menu, and the pair of columns to its left holds still while everything else slides sideways. A reference number and a customer name in those two slots, with weeks of detail running across, is the classic case for it.
Split panes is a different tool altogether. Rather than pinning anything, it carves the worksheet into separate windows so two distant sections are visible together, handy when you're comparing January at the top of a log with December at the bottom. If what you're after is folding whole sections out of sight, grouping rows is a different technique worth a look.
These steps are for Excel on a desktop. If you're working in Excel for the web or on a phone, check Microsoft's help page for that version before you go hunting for the same menu.
What to check when the wrong rows get stuck
When a freeze looks wrong, check which cell was active when you opened the menu: a click in column D quietly pins three columns you never asked for.
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The fix takes seconds. Release it with Unfreeze Panes, click the right cell in column A and pin again. There's no harm in trying a few times until the split sits exactly where you want it.
No View tab at all? Microsoft's help page on locking rows and columns says that's most likely Excel Starter, the edition that leaves out some features, so the option won't appear however hard you hunt through the ribbon.
For a wider tour of the menu, including pinning rows and columns together, see the guide to using Freeze Panes in Excel.
Frequently asked questions
Does this work for a single heading row?
Yes. Click A2 and freeze; row 1 stays put.
My headings sit in row 5 under a logo block. Which cell do I pick?
A6. Everything above that cell is held, so the logo and headings ride along at the top.
How do I keep a three-row title and a name column in view together?
Pick B4. Three rows above it and one column to its left make the frozen block.
What do I click to hold the first three columns of a wide table?
Column D. Whatever sits left of your selection is what stays.
Can I freeze a block halfway down without the rows above it?
No. Freeze Panes always holds every row above the cell you pick, so the top of the sheet comes along too. To keep two separate areas in view, Split panes is the tool for that.
