Excel is a program that never ceases to amaze its users, since it has a wide range of functionalities that few know. It does not matter if you are an expert in its use or not, because you can always enjoy its advantages.
On this occasion, we want to talk to you in depth about the functionalities of how to freeze the panels and split the columns and rows in a worksheet of Excel. Although it might seem roughly the same, there really are differences between the two.
Therefore, throughout this post we will provide you with all the information about what are the advantages of immobilizing panels, the differences between immobilize and divide, as well as a step-by-step guide to perform both procedures.
What are the benefits of freezing dashboards in Excel?
In general, immobilize panels in Excel it has one main advantage. This is that allows users to keep certain rows and columns visible while scrolling throughout the excel sheet. This means that you can move through the entire document but the row, column or panels that you selected you will always have them at hand.
There are three main forms of immobilization:
- Panels: with this option create a division based on the cell you select. Its use is recommended if you want to freeze both rows and columns, or if the row to freeze is not the first.
- Top row: takes care of leave the first row static while you scroll in vertical. That way, you will always have it visible.
- First column or the first two columns: As the name implies, leave the first or first two columns static as you move through the entire spreadsheet.
What are the differences between freezing and splitting cells in Excel?
The main difference that is appreciated between freeze and split cells functions in Excel, is that by immobilization you can move anywhere on the sheet of calculation keeping fixed the rows or columns that you want. However, when you use the dividing cells separates the sheet into four parts and you can independently scroll through each of those parts. This means that you can display any part of the spreadsheet in any of the sections.
Learn step by step how to freeze panels and split columns and rows in Excel
The function of immobilize panels It is also known as fix rows and columns, and is ideal for when you want to scroll within the spreadsheet without these elements moving. Keep in mind that to carry out this procedure, you need to go to the tab View within Excel. Likewise, you can also Split panels to create separate windows of the same spreadsheet.
Next we will teach you step by step how to freeze panels and how to divide the columns and rows within Excel:
Freeze panels
As indicated above, with the help of the function to freeze panels you can scroll through the entire spreadsheet while the section you choose will remain fixed. In this sense, you can freeze the first column, the first two columns, the top row, or freeze panels (includes both rows and columns).
To freeze only the first column, do the following:
- Go to the tab View.
- Login to Freeze panels.
- Once inside, select the option Immobilize first column.
What you helps to verify that the first column is immobilized, is a dim line shown between the columns A and B.
To freeze the first two columns of your spreadsheet, you have to:
- Select the third column.
- Go to View.
- Tap on Freeze panels / Freeze panels.
To immobilize the top row you must follow the steps below:
- Select the top row.
- Go to the window View.
- Click on the option Freeze top row.
Finally, if you want to freeze columns and rows, the procedure to follow is:
- Select cell that is located below the rows and on the right side of the columns that you are going to keep visible while you scroll.
- Go to View.
- Tap on Freeze panels / Freeze panels.
In summary, in these cases always keep in mind that the first and most important step is to select the cell according to the area you want to freeze. To do it, you have to select a cell after the one you want to keep stationary. When you want to mobilize again the rows or columns, all you have to do is go to the tab View, in Window, to select Mobilize panels.
Split columns and rows
Apart from immobilize, you can also work with a very similar function whose name is split columns and rows. In simple words, it is simply split the screen into multiple parts or views that show the same spreadsheet. That way, you can control the scrolling separately in each area to see different parts of the same spreadsheet at the same time.
To do this you have to:
- Go to the section of View.
- Click on Divide.
This will allow display a border in the middle of the worksheet which divides the work area into four parts. Thus, you will be able to scroll without problems separately in each part and thus display different parts of the spreadsheet. Keep in mind that each area can show any part of the spreadsheet, so you can see the same rows in each of the divisions.
This is not impossible to achieve through immobilizations. To end, if you want to undo a division you have to click on View, Window and Split. This way you will have your spreadsheet as you normally used it.