What Is Freeze Panes In Google Sheets?
The Freeze Panes in Google Sheets helps us lock or fix the columns or rows, as required, in a large dataset. It helps users view the data in a worksheet with the headers or the required columns and rows, when we scroll right to left or top to bottom.
Using the Google Sheets Freeze Panes feature prevents cells, columns and rows, from getting edited. Also, it lets the readers efficiently view and analyze the data without any miss.
For example, consider the dataset given below that consists of Employee details such as their names, date of joining, age, gender and location. We will freeze the employee names column, using the Freeze Columns in Google Sheets, to view their respective locations.
Choose Column C – select the “View” tab – click the “Freeze” option right-arrow – select the “Up to column C” option, as shown below.
We get the output shown above, i.e., the grey line after Column C, indicating that the Column is locked.
Now, we can view the location of the employees in the corresponding cells without any need to hide or reduce the column-width, as shown below.
Key Takeaways
- The Freeze Panes in Google Sheets helps users lock the position of a single or multiple, rows or columns in a large dataset, so that the fixed cells are visible when we navigate across the worksheet. It helps compare data easily and reduces scrolling and searching time.
- To freeze a row and column, we can select any data cell and select the freeze options. Then, the rows above and the columns before the selected cells freeze, until we unfreeze them.
- The methods used to Freeze cells are the same used to undo it, which means with only the same methods we can unfreeze the frozen rows or columns.
- The “Up to row/column …” option will give the number as per the selected cell.
How To Freeze Rows In Google Sheets?
We can Freeze Rows in Google Sheets in two ways, namely,
- View Menu.
- Right-click Menu.
Method #1 – View Menu
The steps to Freeze Rows in Google Sheets Using View Menu are,
Step 1: Choose the row to freeze – select the “View” tab – click the “Freeze” option right-arrow and we get multiple options to choose, as shown below, namely,
- 1 row or 1 column – It will select the first row or first column, respectively.
- 2 rows or 2 columns – It will select the first two rows or first two columns, respectively.
- Up to row or Up to column – Based on the selection of cells it will give us an option to choose till what rows and columns we want to freeze.
Step 2: We can choose any of the available options. Here, we will choose the “1 row” option, as shown below.
We get the following output where the Row 1 is locked.
Method #2 – Right-click Menu
The procedure to Freeze Rows in Google Sheets Using Right-click Menu is,
Right-click on the row to freeze – click the “View more row actions” option right-arrow – select the “Freeze up to row …” option, as shown below.
The row freeze until row 4, as shown below.
How To Freeze Columns In Google Sheets?
We can Freeze Columns in Google Sheets in two ways, namely,
- View Menu.
- Right-click Menu.
Method #1 – View Menu
The steps to Freeze Columns in Google Sheets Using View Menu are,
Step 1: Choose the columns to freeze – select the “View” tab – click the “Freeze” option right-arrow and we get multiple options to choose, as shown below, namely,
- 1 row or 1 column – It will select the first row or first column, respectively.
- 2 rows or 2 columns – It will select the first two rows or first two columns, respectively.
- Up to row or Up to column – Based on the selection of cells it will give us an option to choose till what rows and columns we want to freeze.
Step 2: We will choose the “1 column” option, as shown below.
We get the following output where the Column A is locked.
Method #2 – Right-click Menu
The procedure to Freeze Columns in Google Sheets Using Right-click Menu is,
Right-click on the column to freeze – click the “View more column actions” option right-arrow – select the “Freeze up to column …” option, as shown below.
The columns freeze until column B, as shown below.
Examples
We will consider some examples to Freeze first row or column and Multiple Rows or Columns.
Example #1 – Freeze Header Row
Consider the dataset given below that consists of student data with their names, ID’s, grade, scores and promotion list. We will free the header row so that when we move from top to bottom to view the details in the next page, we can view the headers.
The procedure to Freeze Header Row is:
Select the header row or row 1 – go to the “View” menu – click the “Freeze” option right- arrow – select the “1 row” or “Up to row 1” option, as shown below.
We see the following output, that the header row is frozen, indicated by the grey line just below the row.
Example #2 – Freeze Multiple Rows.
Let us consider the Example #1 dataset, again. Regardless of the rows we choose, when we apply the freeze multiple rows option, the feature always freezes the rows from row 1. The student data we are working on is quite a large dataset. When we want to view the remaining data after row 16 and we scroll down, then the header will not be visible, as shown below.
In such scenarios, we are forced to Zoom out, to view the whole data. However, the data is so small that it is difficult to view or understand, as shown below. Therefore, we can freeze multiple rows.
The procedure to Freeze Multiple Rows, to view the headers when we scroll up and down is,
Select the “View” tab – click the “Freeze” option right-arrow – select the “Up to row 6” option, as shown below.
[Note: The “Up to row/column …” option will give the number as per the selected cell. Here, we can see that row 9 is selected, therefore, we have the option “Up to row 9”.]
The output shown below, i.e., the grey line after Row 9 indicating that the particular row is locked.
The advantage is, we can view the rest of the student details along with the headers from row 10 immediately after row 9, without zooming-out or reducing the zoom percentage from 100% to lesser number, as shown below.
Example #3 – Freeze First Column.
The dataset given below consists of employee details such as their names, ID’s, date of joining, department and 6 months sales from Jan to Jun.
The procedure to Freeze First Column is:
Select the first column or column A – go to the “View” menu – click the “Freeze” option right- arrow – select the “1 column” or “Up to column A” option, as shown below.
We see the following output, that the first column is frozen, indicated by the grey line just beside the column.
Example #4 – Freeze Multiple Columns.
Let us consider the Example #3 dataset, again. Regardless of the columns we choose, when we apply the freeze multiple columns option, the feature always freezes the columns from Column A. The dataset has multiple columns and a few data has moved to the next page.
The steps to Freeze Multiple Columns are,
Select columns A to D or only choose column D – select the “View” tab – click the “Freeze” option right-arrow – select the “Up to column D” option, as shown below.
We get the output shown below, i.e., the grey line after Column D, indicating that the Columns A to D are locked. Therefore, we can conclude that the columns we select to Freeze, are the options that appear in the “View” tab. So that we can lock them accordingly.
The advantage is, we can view the rest of the sales details along with the employee names and ID’s from Column D, without zooming-out or reducing the zoom percentage from 100% to lesser number, as shown below.
How To Unfreeze Panes In Google Sheets?
Consider the Example #2 output, where we freezed multiple rows.
The procedure to Unfreeze Columns in Google Sheets is,
Select the “View” tab – click the “Freeze” option right-arrow – select the “No columns” option, as shown below.
The output is shown below, where the grey line after Column B is removed, indicating that the Columns are Unfreezed.
[Note: To unfreeze rows, select the “View” tab – click the “Freeze” option right-arrow – select the “No rows”.]
Important Things To Note
- Once we freeze a row or a column, we cannot freeze another row or column. We must first Unfreeze the locked rows or columns and then, use the Freeze option on the required row or column.
- Even though the cells are locked, when we copy the dataset, the entire dataset that gets hidden gets copied.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
It is important to Freeze Panes in Google Sheets because,
a. It helps the end users to comprehend data or information clearly, without missing any details.
b. It locks the rows and columns in a large dataset, when we scroll up, down, left or right of the worksheet.
c. We can line up the data with table headers, quick and easy, and retrieve the required information.
d. It gives the spreadsheet a professional look especially when it is a shared worksheet or when it is used for presentation.
An alternate way to Unfreeze the Frozen Panes in Google Sheets is by using the Drag and drop of drag bar –
a. To unfreeze columns, drag and drop the vertical grey line towards the row numbers.
b. To unfreeze rows, drag and drop the horizontal grey line towards the column names.
c. Or else, in both the cases, drag and drop the grey lines to the upper-left corner of the worksheet where the small rectangular space is found, as shown below.
A few advantages are,
• When the headers are visible, then we can modify data easily without missing information.
• In a large dataset, we can project only the needed data.
A few disadvantages are,
• When we copy and paste the data values from the dataset, there are chances of missing the locked or frozen data.
• Even if a column or row gets hidden, we might unintentionally delete it.
Download Template
This article helps understand the Freeze Panes in Google Sheets features through examples. You can download the template and use it instantly.
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