Lock rows and columns in Excel

You can view two areas of a worksheet and lock rows or columns in one area by splitting or freezing panes (pane: A portion of the document window bounded by and separated from other portions by vertical or horizontal bars.). When you split panes, you'll be able to scroll in both areas of the worksheet, while rows or columns in the non-scrolled area remain visible.

When you freeze panes, you select specific rows or columns that remain visible when scrolling in the worksheet. For example, you would freeze panes to keep row and column labels visible as you scroll, as shown in the following picture.

Lock rows and columns by splitting panes

1. To lock rows, select the row below where you want the split to appear.

   To lock columns, select the column to the right of where you want the split to appear.

   To lock both rows and columns, click the cell below and to the right of where you want the split to appear.

2. On the Window menu, click Split.
3. To remove the split, click Remove Split on the Window menu.

Tip

For a quick way to split panes, point to the split box at the top of the vertical scroll bar or at the right end of the horizontal scroll bar.

When the pointer changes to a split pointer or , drag the split box down or to the left to the position you want.

Lock rows and columns by freezing panes

1. To lock rows, select the row below where you want the split to appear.

   To lock columns, select the column to the right of where you want the split to appear.

   To lock both rows and columns, click the cell below and to the right of where you want the split to appear.

2. On the Window menu, click Freeze Panes.
3. To unlock rows, click Unfreeze Panes on the Window menu.