Freezing rows and columns (panes) on the worksheet

Why and when is it useful?

Working with small tables and small amounts of information is easy, since the entire table is visible on the screen.
But when dealing with larger amounts of data, you will find it increasingly harder to relate your table's content to the correct column or row headers, simply because you will need to repeatedly scroll the screen left and right and up and down.

Don't hesitate to freeze panes on every big table you work with, it can save you from making errors such as typing data in the incorrect cells, or from drawing incorrect conclusions from your table.

It also gives a touch of professionalism, a detail that is greatly appreciated when several people share worksheets. This is a neat way of saving time and effort.

How do you freeze panes?

Locate the corner where the heading row and the heading column meet and select the cell in the inner part of that corner. Then go to the “View” tab in the ribbon and click “Freeze panes”.