How to Freeze Rows and Columns in MS Excel 2016?

Suppose, you have an Excel sheet that contains a lot of data. To read the data at the bottom of the sheet, if you scroll the sheet upward, the headings that lie in the top row will be invisible. It will make no sense of reading data without headings. Same is the case with column if you scroll the sheet rightwards the columns to the left will be invisible. The best way to retain rows and columns is to freeze them. Frozen rows and column will appear, no matter wherever you are on the sheet. So, let us learn How to Freeze Rows and Columns in MS Excel 2016?

Steps to Freeze Rows and Columns in MS Excel 2016:

Step 1: Open an Excel sheet on your screen, of which you want to freeze rows and columns. In the image below you can see that I have an Excel sheet of which I want to freeze top row and first two columns.

Step 2: Go to the View tab and under Window group click on Freeze Panes drop-down button.

Step 3: Under Freeze Panes You have three options Freeze Panes, Freeze Top Row and Freeze First Column.

Freeze Panes: It combinely freezes rows and columns that appear above and to the left of the selected cell respectively.
Freeze Top Row: This freezes top row of the Excel sheet.
Freeze First Columns: Freezes the first column of the Excel Sheet.

Note: You can not select Freeze Top Row and  Freeze First Column simultaneously.

Step 4: Now, if you want to freeze rows and columns simultaneously. You have to select a cell in the Excel sheet which exactly lies below the rows and next to the columns you want to freeze. Then under Freeze Panes, drop-down options click on Freeze Panes. It will freeze all the row above the selected cell and all the columns to the left of the selected cell.

In the picture above, I froze top row and first two columns, and for that, I have selected the cell that lies below the top row and next to the second column.

Step 5: If you have selected the first cell of the Excel sheet then there does lie any rows above it and any columns beside its left side to get frozen. In this case, the Excel sheet is frozen at the centre.

Note: The Freeze Panes button does not work in Page Layout view, or cell editing mode. It does not even work if the sheet is protected.

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