Those who worked in the Excel office application know that the tables in it are dynamic. This means that they are not tied to a specific format or location, and when you resize one part of the document, the other involuntarily changes. However, sometimes the user would like to block certain areas of the table so that his further actions do not affect the general appearance of the selected data. This article will tell you how to freeze a cell in Excel 2010, but you should immediately clarify that the instruction will be common to all other versions of the program.
What are the options for freezing
Before freezing a cell in Excel, it is worth noting what its types generally exist. There are only two of them:
- By the address. This type of freezing implies the invariance of the link address when copying it.
- By cell. In this case, pinning implies finding the cell in the field of view, even if the user has long flipped through the place of its original location.
Having dealt with all the definitions, we will go directly to the methods of how to freeze a cell in Excel.
Method number 1: fixing the address
So, let's figure out how to freeze a cell in an Excel formula at. Let's say that this is done using the $ sign. To fix the address of the row and column, it must be placed before the letter and number. If you want to fix only the column, put a character in front of the letter, if a row - in front of the number. Let's look at an example.
Suppose there is a table in which you need to calculate the premium. Moreover, its amount is equal to the amount of wages multiplied by a certain number, which is displayed in a separate cell. In order not to prescribe the formula each time in a new way, it is easier to freeze the same cell and fill in the “Premium” column using the fill marker. Here's what it looks like in practice:
- Write the calculation formula in the upper cell of the “Premium” column.
- Freeze a cell in it with the number taken out separately. To do this, put the $ sign next to the letter and number, as shown in the image below.
- Using the fill marker, drag this formula throughout the column.
As you can see, everything turned out, it was possible to quickly calculate the premium without writing the formula separately each time.
This is the first way to freeze a cell in Excel, go directly to the next.
Method number 2: cell freezing
The previous way to freeze a cell in Excel is most often useful when working with formulas. Now we will consider the situation when it is necessary to fix the rows or columns of the table so that they can be seen even when the sheet is offset. In total, three options can be distinguished:
- Pin the top line.
- Freeze the leftmost column.
- Fixes the area located above and to the left of the selected cell.
So, let's take a closer look.
Pin Top Line
To complete this instruction, you do not need to have in-depth knowledge of computer skills:
- Go to the "View" tab.
- Click on the “Lock areas” button.
- In the menu that appears, select the item “Freeze the top line”.
Freeze the leftmost column
The instruction is practically no different, but just in case, we will consider it in detail so that no one will have questions:
- Click the View tab.
- Click on the “Lock areas” button.
- Select the option “Freeze first column” from the list.
Freeze area
If you want to leave a row of rows and columns in sight, then do the following:
- Select the cell, the rows above and the columns to the left of which you want to freeze.
- Go to the "View" tab.
- On the toolbar, click on “Lock areas”.
- In the list, select the option "Lock areas".
Now you know how to freeze cells in Excel for better interaction with them. We hope the article was helpful and you find all the answers.