What is the shortcut to freeze panes in excel

What is the shortcut to freeze panes in Excel?

The shortcut to freeze panes in Excel is Alt + W + F + F. This sequential key combination navigates the ribbon menu to freeze rows above and columns to the left of the active cell. Excel does not have a direct single-key shortcut (such as Ctrl+F) for freezing panes.

How the Alt + W + F + F shortcut works

Press each key in the sequence one after another, not simultaneously. Press Alt to activate ribbon shortcuts, then release and press W to select the View tab, followed by F to open the Freeze Panes dropdown, and F again to execute the freeze command. Brief pauses between keys allow Excel to register each step.

Position the cursor in the cell below the rows and to the right of the columns you want to freeze before starting the sequence. The frozen rows and columns remain visible while scrolling through the rest of the worksheet.

This shortcut works consistently across Excel 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Microsoft 365, according to Microsoft's official keyboard shortcuts documentation.

Additional freeze pane shortcuts

Excel provides three additional Alt key sequences for specific freeze options:

1. Alt + W + F + R freezes the top row only
2. Alt + W + F + C freezes the first column only
3. Alt + W + F + U unfreezes all panes

Quick Access Toolbar shortcut method

Adding Freeze Panes to the Quick Access Toolbar (QAT) creates a shorter Alt + number shortcut. Numbers are assigned sequentially from left to right based on each command's position in the toolbar, starting with 1 for the leftmost icon.

Press Alt briefly to reveal number overlays on QAT icons, confirming the assigned shortcut without executing commands. For positions 1 through 9, press Alt followed by the single digit (e.g., Alt + 1). Items in positions 10 and higher require Alt, then 0, then another digit (e.g., Alt + 0 + 9 for the 10th position).

Placing Freeze Panes as the first QAT item assigns the Alt + 1 shortcut for the fastest access.