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Excel is an amazing program that allows you to automate the processing of huge amounts of data, presenting them in a very simple, functional and programmable environment. When a person has to work with a large amount of information at once in an Excel document, it is still often difficult for him to process these arrays. This problem is especially noticeable if the number of columns in the table is greater than the width of the screen. In this case, in order to look alternately at the first and last columns, you have to constantly scroll the page first in one direction, then in the other. In this case, a particular string is lost, and you have to go back to find the information that needs to be matched.
And if there is too much such data, this process brings a huge amount of inconvenience to the user’s life. To make an analysis of large data arrays or work with formulas that require constant interaction with the first columns, and there is the possibility of freezing columns in Excel. Then, while scrolling, their position will not change. Everything is much easier than it seems. Today we will analyze several ways to fix columns that can be used in various situations, as well as figure out what to do to unpin regions.
How to freeze first column in excel spreadsheet
To fix the first column of the table, you need to click on the “Window” button located in the “View” tab. True, in different versions of Excel, the specific content may differ. 
Among the whole set of possible options, we need to select “Freeze the first column” and click on this button. Now the column can be considered fixed, and the user can move the table in any direction and still see what is contained in the first column. Very comfortably. 
How to Freeze Multiple Columns at Once in Excel
Situations are different. For example, in some cases, you need to make sure that several columns are pinned to the screen at once. To do this, you need to left-click on the first cell of the column that is to the right of the last one that you want to fix. This may seem rather complicated. But in fact, everything is much simpler. Let’s take a small example to illustrate. Let’s look at this screenshot. Here, in order to pin the first three columns, you must select D1, since it is in the fourth position from the leftmost edge. 
Further, the sequence of actions is almost the same as in the previous section. Only now you need to click on the “Freeze Regions” button instead of “Freeze First Column”. To achieve greater clarity, manufacturers have made special pictures that show which cells need to be selected in order to get the desired result. 
Excel users often face another problem – they do not know how to freeze columns during printing. This happens when the first columns contain headings or other key information needed to read the information in subsequent columns. Where does such a problem come from? The fact is that the functions described by us do not affect how the page will be displayed on print. If the user wants multiple columns on the left to be displayed on a sheet of paper, the following steps must be followed:
- Click sequentially on the following menu items: Page Layout – Page Setup – Print Headers.
- Then a window will open in which we need to make sure that we are on the “Sheet” tab. If not, then you need to switch to it.
- Next, we need to define the number of columns that should be repeated. To do this, you need to click on the special icon located to the right of the “Through Columns” field, and then select the appropriate columns.
- Next, click on the “OK” button and print a sheet for verification. The fact that everything worked out can be understood by the presence of repeating first columns on the finished sheets of paper.
It is important not to confuse the “Through Rows” and “Through Columns” fields. If you are not careful, then the print will repeat rows, not columns on different sheets. Accordingly, you will have to spend extra time changing parameters and reprinting.
Before you print a sheet, you can use the “Preview” function to understand how the final pages will look. This method will also help save time on reprinting. True, it will not help save the time it takes to remake the resulting result. Therefore, it is important to ensure that all settings are entered correctly the first time.
How to unfreeze a column and region
After performing all the necessary actions, the user often has to unpin the sheet so that the sheet looks the way it used to. If some columns were previously fixed, their previous mobility can be restored by using the “Unfreeze area” button. After clicking on it, the table will look exactly the same as before fixing the columns. All columns will scroll if the user performs this rewind.
Note! This method is suitable both for one column that was previously fixed, and for several.
Let’s summarize. In Excel, manufacturers have provided two methods for fixing columns. Using the first method, it is possible to fix only the first column, while the second tool makes it possible to fix as many columns on the left side as the user wishes.
This feature makes it much easier to work with a large amount of data that does not fit on the monitor. And sometimes without this function, achieving your goals is completely impossible. If it turns out that you need to print several sheets with lines that should be repeated on each piece of paper, then for this you need to use a separate function, which is located on the “Page Layout” tab.