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Excel 2007: How to Keep Column or Row Headings Always Onscreen

July 31st, 2008 | by Loren |

When working with a large worksheet in Excel, it’s often necessary to keep the row or column headings onscreen while working so you can see what you’re working with as you scroll down-screen. You can do this by Freezing Panes in Excel.

  • The only catch is in knowing how to tell Excel which rows/columns you want frozen on-screen, especially if it is more than the first column or row. The key is to move the cell pointer (the black outline that indicates the current cell) to the cell just below the rows and to the right of the columns you want kept onscreen. Once the cell pointer is in place, click the View tab, and in the Window group, then click Freeze Panes, then click Freeze Panes again. Excel will put a narrow black line onscreen that defines the frozen columns and row.

  • If you just want the first row or column frozen, you can use those choices in the Freeze Panes menu.
  • To turn off the Freeze Panes, go back to View, Window group, Freeze Panes, then Unfreeze Panes. The cell pointer can be anywhere to unfreeze.
  • Freeze Panes will be saved with the file, so when you open it next the same columns/rows will be frozen.
  • This will not cause the row or column heading to repeat on printouts. To do that you need to use the Print Titles option (in the Page Layout tab, Page Setup group).

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  1. 6 Responses to “Excel 2007: How to Keep Column or Row Headings Always Onscreen”

  2. By lieben on Mar 3, 2009 | Reply

    Interessante Informationen.

  3. By Loren on Feb 18, 2009 | Reply

    Hi Rookie – I think that orange is the default color for the column/row headings for selected cells. How did you change yours to gray?
    You can change the Excel colors through the Office button, Excel Options, and under Popular there are three color schemes to choose from, but the heading for rows and columns that are selected are still orange.
    Maybe something with the your Windows system colors?
    Sorry I can’t be of more help, but please post back if you find the answer.

  4. By Rookie on Feb 18, 2009 | Reply

    In your screen shot (excel_freeze_sheet.png), how did you change the color to orange for the “B” and “3″?? Mine is gray.

  5. By Trisch on Oct 21, 2008 | Reply

    Thank you soo much for this article. I recently was upgraded at work to 2007 and I look at spreadsheets all day, it was driving me crazy!

  6. By Loren on Sep 28, 2008 | Reply

    Maurice – you can’t change the column letters or row numbers in Excel. Typically, people type in the names they want along the top rows, where you see January, February… typed in the example above.
    Hope that helps, good luck.

  7. By maurice woods on Sep 27, 2008 | Reply

    how can i removw the alphalbet a,b,c,etc and name the column

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