The steps in this guide are going to show you how to freeze rows in Google Sheets. We will cover the process briefly at the top of the guide, then dive further into it with additional information and pictures for each of the steps.
- Sign into Google Drive and open the Google Sheets file you wish to edit.
- Click on the row number of the lowest row to freeze.
- Select the View tab at the top of the window.
- Choose the Freeze option, then click on the menu item for the rows you wish to freeze.
Google Sheets includes many of the same features that you would find in Microsoft Excel, including the ability to freeze rows and freeze columns. This option is ideal for large spreadsheets, as it enables you to scroll further down into your data, while keeping a number of rows visible at the top of the spreadsheet. Since the top row of your data often includes column headers or titles that identify the columns in your Google spreadsheet, the ability to view that information can be very helpful.
Our tutorial is going to show you how to freeze rows in Google Sheets. There are a handful of options for accomplishing this, such as electing to only freeze the top row, or selecting a row number and having your Google spreadsheet freeze each row up to that current row.
How to Freeze Rows or Freeze Columns in Google Sheets
The steps in this article were performed in the Google Chrome desktop Web browser, but will also work in other Web browsers like Firefox or Edge. While I will be focusing specifically on freezing rows in this guide, the same method can be applied if you want to freeze columns instead. We are also going to show you how to unfreeze a row at the end of the guide.
Step 1: Sign into your Google Drive at https://drive.google.com and click the Google spreadsheet file you wish to edit.
Step 2: Select the row number of the lowest row that you want to freeze. This isn’t technically necessary if you only want to freeze the top row or the top two rows, but it is necessary if you want to use the option that lets you freeze up to the current row.
Step 3: Click View at the top of the window to open the View menu.
Step 4: Select the Freeze option, then click on the option that indicates the number of rows you wish to freeze.
Additional Notes
- You can unfreeze columns or rows by simply opening the View menu again, choosing the Freeze option, then clicking the No rows option to unfreeze rows, or clicking the No columns option to unfreeze columns.
- If you are using the iOS app and you want to freeze or unfreeze columns on your iPhone, you can do so by tapping the worksheet tab at the bottom of the screen then scrolling down and adjusting the Freeze rows or Freeze columns option.
- Did you know that there is a Google Docs app for your iPhone or Android phone as well? The apps are suprisingly robust and provide a lot of options for creating and editing Google docs or a Google spreadsheet.
- If you are planning to print this spreadsheet, note that the frozen rows and frozen columns will print on each page of that document.
- If you are intending to freeze your columns instead of rows, simply select the column letter instead of the row number if you are planning to use the current column Freeze option. If you are just planning to freeze the first column or one of the first two columns, you won’t need to select any column letters.
Find out how to hide a row in Google Sheets if you have some information that others don’t need to see, but you aren’t quite ready to remove from the file.
Matt Jacobs has been working as an IT consultant for small businesses since receiving his Master’s degree in 2003. While he still does some consulting work, his primary focus now is on creating technology support content for SupportYourTech.com.
His work can be found on many websites and focuses on topics such as Microsoft Office, Apple devices, Android devices, Photoshop and more.