How to Freeze Rows in Google Sheets (and Columns, 2026)
Freezing rows pins them in place so your header stays visible as you scroll through long data — no more losing track of which column is which. Here’s how to freeze rows and columns on desktop and mobile.
1. Freeze the Header Row
- Open your spreadsheet.
- Go to View > Freeze.
- Click 1 row.
The top row now stays put while the rest of the sheet scrolls beneath it. A thin gray line marks the frozen boundary.
2. Freeze Multiple Rows
- For a fixed number: View > Freeze > 2 rows.
- For more than two, or an exact spot: click a cell in the row just below the last row you want frozen, then View > Freeze > Up to current row.
Everything above your selected cell is frozen.
Tip: You can also grab the thick gray bar at the top-left corner of the grid (above row 1 / left of column A) and drag it down to freeze rows by hand.
3. Freeze Columns
Same menu, for vertical scrolling:
- View > Freeze.
- Choose 1 column, 2 columns, or click a cell and pick Up to current column.
Frozen columns (like names or IDs) stay visible as you scroll right through wide data. Or drag the thick gray bar on the left edge of the grid sideways.
4. Freeze Rows on Mobile
In the Google Sheets app (iOS/Android):
- Open the sheet and tap the row number to select the row.
- Tap it again to open the menu (or tap the three-dot menu).
- Choose Freeze (you may see Freeze / Unfreeze toggles for rows and columns).
The frozen row stays visible as you scroll.
5. Unfreeze
- Go to View > Freeze.
- Select No rows (and/or No columns).
Or drag the gray boundary bar back to the top-left corner.
6. Troubleshooting
The header still scrolls away
You may have selected the wrong starting cell for “Up to current row.” Put your cursor in the row below the header, or just use View > Freeze > 1 row.
Freeze is greyed out
Freezing applies per sheet/tab. Make sure you’re on the right tab and not in a protected view. It also won’t apply inside a filtered “Filter view” the same way — exit the filter view first.
Frozen rows print on only the first page
Freezing affects on-screen scrolling, not printing. To repeat headers on every printed page, use File > Print and set Headers & footers / repeat options, or Data > set the header behavior in print settings.
Related Google Sheets guides: How to create a drop-down list · How to use conditional formatting · How to create a pivot table · How to remove duplicates · How to use VLOOKUP
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