Excel Freeze Panes Not Working? Common Issues and Solutions

How Freeze Panes Actually Works

Key concept: Excel freezes everything above and to the left of your selected cell.

• Select cell B2 → Row 1 and Column A are frozen
• Select cell A2 → Only Row 1 is frozen (nothing to the left)
• Select cell B1 → Only Column A is frozen (nothing above)

Problem: Wrong Rows/Columns Frozen

Fix: First unfreeze: View → Freeze Panes → Unfreeze Panes

Then select the correct cell:

• To freeze just row 1: click cell A2, then Freeze Panes
• To freeze rows 1-3: click cell A4, then Freeze Panes
• To freeze row 1 AND column A: click cell B2, then Freeze Panes

Problem: “Freeze Panes” Option Grayed Out

Can't click Freeze Panes? You're probably in Edit mode (editing a cell).

Fix: Press Escape to exit edit mode, then try again.

Also grayed out? Check if you're in Page Break Preview or Page Layout view — switch to Normal view (View → Normal).

Problem: Freeze Disappears When Reopening

Freeze Panes should persist when you save and reopen. If it's disappearing:

• Make sure you're saving as .xlsx (not .csv)
• Check if the file is opening in Protected View — enable editing
• Shared workbooks can have issues — check Review → Share Workbook

Problem: Can't See Frozen Rows

Freeze Panes is set but you can't see the frozen rows? You might have scrolled them out of view before freezing.

Fix: Unfreeze, scroll to show the rows you want to freeze, position correctly, then freeze again.

Quick Alternatives

Don't need full control? Use the quick options:

• Freeze Top Row: Freezes just row 1, regardless of selection
• Freeze First Column: Freezes just column A, regardless of selection

Find both under View → Freeze Panes.

Alternative: Tables

Format your data as a Table (Ctrl+T), and headers automatically stay visible when you scroll within the table. No Freeze Panes needed.

Official Resources

• Freeze Panes — Microsoft's guide
• Split panes — alternative to freeze