Excel lock top row when scrolling

Answer

To lock the top row when scrolling in Excel, use the Freeze Panes feature. This keeps the top row visible while you scroll through the rest of your worksheet.

Steps to Lock the Top Row

1. Click on cell A2 (the first cell in the second row).
2. Navigate to the View tab in the ribbon.
3. Click on Freeze Panes in the Window group.
4. Select Freeze Top Row from the dropdown menu.

The top row now remains visible as you scroll down through your data. A thin line appears below the frozen row to indicate the freeze is active.

Alternative Method Using Cell Selection

1. Click on the row below the row you want to freeze (row 2 for freezing row 1).
2. Go to the View tab.
3. Click Freeze Panes.
4. Select Freeze Panes (not Freeze Top Row).

This method produces the same result but gives you more control when freezing multiple rows.

How to Unfreeze the Top Row

To remove the freeze:

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

The frozen row returns to normal scrolling behavior.

Differences Between Windows and Mac

The steps work identically on both Windows and Mac versions of Excel. The View tab, Freeze Panes button, and dropdown options appear in the same locations on both operating systems.

When the Top Row Contains Headers

Freezing the top row proves most useful when your first row contains column headers or labels. With 500 rows of data, frozen headers let you identify which column you're viewing at row 450 without scrolling back to the top.

Freeze Panes vs. Freeze Top Row

The Freeze Top Row option always freezes only row 1. The Freeze Panes option freezes rows above and columns to the left of your selected cell. Select cell B3 and choose Freeze Panes to freeze both row 1 and column A simultaneously.

Saving Frozen Panes

Excel saves your freeze settings when you save the workbook. Opening the file later restores the frozen top row automatically.

Printing with Frozen Rows

Frozen rows affect only the on-screen display. To print the top row on every page, use Print Titles instead:

1. Go to the Page Layout tab.
2. Click Print Titles.
3. In the Rows to repeat at top field, enter $1:$1.
4. Click OK.

This ensures your headers print on each page of a multi-page worksheet.

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