Thanks to the high performance of Excel, you can store and work with data in millions of rows and columns. However, scrolling down to line 26935 of all these numerous cells, it is easy enough to lose the connection between the values in these cells and their meaning. This is one of the reasons why Excel prepared a dedicated tool for us − Freeze (fix).
This tool allows you to scroll through the cells with information and see the headers of rows and/or columns that are fixed and cannot scroll with the rest of the cells. So, what button should be pressed, and what pitfalls exist here?
How to keep headers visible
If you have a regular table with one row in the header, then the steps are very simple:
- Look at the top line with headers and make sure that this line is visible. In this case, the line itself can not be selected.
The function under consideration has one peculiarity: it fixes the upper visible term
- Click the View (View) in Excel and find the command icon Freeze Panes (Freeze areas) in a group Window (Window).
- Click on the little arrow next to the icon to see all options. Select Freeze Top Row (Freeze top row) or Freeze First Column (Freeze first column) – depending on how you organize your data.
Whenever you freeze rows or columns, the command Freeze Panes (Pin area) turns into a team Unfreeze Panes (Unfreeze Regions), which allows you to quickly unlock rows or columns.
How to freeze multiple rows and/or columns
More and more often I see tables that have multiple lines in the header. These are complex structures, but they allow you to place more detailed text in the headings, thereby describing the data in the table more clearly.
In addition, the need to freeze multiple rows arises when you need to compare a certain area of data with another area that is located several thousand lines below.
In such situations, the team Freeze Top Row (Pin the top row) won’t be very helpful. But the ability to fix an entire area at once is the most it!
Here’s how to do it:
- This moment is key. Select a cell below the rows and/or to the right of the columns you want to freeze.
- Click the View (View) and find the icon Freeze Panes (Freeze panes) in a command group Window (Window).
- Click on the little arrow next to the icon to see all the options and select Freeze Panes (To fix areas).
As always, this is not the end of the story. Many novice users often complain that this technique does not work for them. This can happen if you have previously pinned some area.
If any of the rows or columns are already fixed, then instead of the command Freeze panes (pin areas) you will see Unfreeze panes (Unpin areas). Take a look at the command name before trying to pin lines and everything will work as it should.
Use this small but very handy tool to keep area titles visible at all times. In this case, when scrolling through the sheet, you will always know what data is in front of you.