Answer

To select which panes to freeze in Excel, place the active cell below the row and to the right of the column you want to keep visible, then apply the Freeze Panes command.

What Freeze Panes does in Excel

Freeze Panes keeps specific rows, columns, or both visible while the rest of the worksheet scrolls. Excel freezes everything above and to the left of the active cell at the moment the command is applied.

Excel supports three freezing behaviors:

1. Freeze the top row

2. Freeze the first column

3. Freeze custom rows and columns using Freeze Panes

How to Freeze Specific Rows and Columns (Custom Panes)

Steps on Windows

1. Click the cell located one row below the last row to freeze and one column to the right of the last column to freeze.

2. Select the View tab on the Ribbon.

3. Click Freeze Panes.

4. Choose Freeze Panes from the dropdown.

Steps on Mac

1. Click the cell located one row below the last row to freeze and one column to the right of the last column to freeze.

2. Select the View tab on the menu bar.

3. Click Freeze Panes.

4. Choose Freeze Panes.

Difference between Windows and Mac
The command location is the same. The Ribbon interface differs slightly in spacing and icon size, while functionality remains identical.

How to Freeze Only the Top Row

To freeze only the top row in Excel:

1. Select the View tab.

2. Click Freeze Panes.

3. Select Freeze Top Row.

This option locks row 1 regardless of the active cell position.

How to Freeze Only the First Column

To freeze only the first column in Excel:

1. Select the View tab.

2. Click Freeze Panes.

3. Select Freeze First Column.

This option locks column A regardless of the active cell position.

How Excel Determines Which Panes Are Frozen

Excel uses the active cell as the reference point:

• Rows above the active cell are frozen.

• Columns to the left of the active cell are frozen.

• The active cell itself remains scrollable.

Incorrect cell placement results in freezing the wrong panes.

How to Unfreeze Panes

To remove all frozen panes:

1. Select the View tab.

2. Click Freeze Panes.

3. Select Unfreeze Panes.

Excel removes every frozen row and column in a single action.

Common Errors When Freezing Panes

1. Selecting the header cell instead of the cell below the header freezes no rows.

2. Selecting a cell inside the data area freezes unintended rows or columns.

3. Attempting to freeze multiple non-adjacent areas fails because Excel supports only one continuous frozen region.

Best Practices for Selecting Panes to Freeze

1. Identify headers that must remain visible during scrolling.

2. Verify the active cell position before applying Freeze Panes.

3. Unfreeze panes before applying a new freeze configuration.

4. Combine freezing with table formatting for improved navigation on large datasets.

Does Freeze Panes affect printing?

No. Freeze Panes affects on-screen navigation only. Printing behavior depends on print titles configured in Page Layout.

Yes · 0 No · 0 Add Comment · 0

Add ·

Report