The first row of a sheet is almost always the header row. Column titles, units, labels. The stuff you keep wanting to glance at while you scroll through the data below.
Without freezing it, that header scrolls off the screen the moment you move down a few rows. Freezing pins it in place so it stays visible no matter how far you scroll.
There is no built-in keyboard shortcut for freezing rows in Google Sheets on Windows or Mac. The fastest route is the View menu freeze options, which takes two clicks.
Is There a Keyboard Shortcut for Freezing Rows in Google Sheets?
Freeze Row Keyboard Shortcut (
Windows)
No native keyboard shortcut on Windows. Use the View menu below.
Freeze Row Keyboard Shortcut (
Mac)
No native keyboard shortcut on Mac. Use the View menu below.
No key combo exists for this on either platform. Google Sheets handles freezing entirely through the View menu, where you can pin a set number of rows or freeze up to whichever row your cursor is on.
Once frozen, the chosen rows stay glued to the top of the visible area while everything below scrolls. A thin gray line separates them from the rest of the sheet.
How to Freeze a Row in Google Sheets (Step by Step)
- Click anywhere in the sheet. If you want to freeze up to a specific row, click any cell in that row first.
- Open the View menu in the top toolbar.
- Hover Freeze.
- Pick 1 row, 2 rows, or Up to current row to pin rows. Choose No rows to clear an existing freeze.
Example: If your header runs through row 3, click any cell in row 3, then go View, Freeze, Up to current row. Rows 1 through 3 are now pinned. To undo it later, go View, Freeze, No rows.
Another Way to Freeze a Row
You can also drag the freeze bar instead of using the menu.
- Look at the very top-left of the sheet, right where the column letters meet the row numbers.
- You’ll see a thick gray bar sitting just above row 1. Click and hold it.
- Drag it down to wherever you want the freeze line. Let go.
This is faster once you’ve done it a couple of times. It also lets you freeze more rows than the menu’s preset list without counting rows manually.
Things to Watch For
- Freezing follows the visible row order. Sorting or filtering the sheet doesn’t shuffle the frozen rows. Whatever’s at the top of the view stays at the top of the view.
- You can only freeze from the top down. There’s no option to freeze a row in the middle of the sheet. The freeze always starts at row 1.
- Frozen rows still respond to edits. They behave like any other row, they’re just visually pinned. Typing in a frozen cell works the same as typing anywhere else.
- Mobile has its own option. In the Sheets app, tap the three-dot menu on a row number to get a freeze option for that row.
- Freezing both rows and columns is fine. A freeze on rows doesn’t conflict with a freeze on columns. Both stay locked at the same time.
Google Sheets keyboard shortcuts
Related Google Sheets shortcuts: