How to Lock Row in Excel

When working with large datasets in Excel, you may often want to lock certain rows or columns so that you can view their contents while scrolling to another area of the worksheet.

Here are some common reasons why you might want to freeze a row in Excel:

1. Keeping headings visible: If your spreadsheet has a lot of data, it can be easy to lose track of which column is which as you scroll down. Freezing the top row (which contains the column headings) ensures that you always know which data is which.

2. Comparing data: If you need to compare data from different parts of a spreadsheet, freezing a row can help you keep those data points visible as you scroll through the sheet. For example, if you’re comparing data from two different time periods, you could freeze the row with the column headings and then scroll through the sheet to see the data from both time periods side by side.

Overall, freezing a row in Excel can be a useful tool for keeping your data organised and easy to navigate, especially when dealing with large spreadsheets or complex data sets. Let’s understand with the help of the following methods.

Method 1 – Lock Top Row

For our first method, we have the following data set.

Step 1 – Select The View Tab

• Select the view tab from the top menu.

Step 2 – Find Window Group

• Under the view tab, find the window group.

Step 3 – Press Freeze Panes Button

• Click on the “Freeze Panes” button.
• It will show you 03 options. Click on the “Freeze Top Row”.

Step 4 – Top Row Locked / Freezed

• The heading / Top row of your table will be frozen or locked as shown above.

Method 2 – Freeze Multiple Rows 

For this method, we have the following data set.

Step 1 – Select The Row / Cell

• For our example, we want to freeze the first two rows of our table. Place the selection handle above rows 1 & 2 i.e Select cell A3.

Step 2 – Click On The Freeze Panes Button

• In the view tab, under the window group. Click on the freeze panes button.
• Select the “Freeze Panes” option.

Step 3 – Multiple Rows Locked / Freezed

• Multiple rows in your table will be frozen.