Excel Freeze Panes Shortcut (Alt+W, F, F)
On Windows press Alt, then W, then F, then F — the ribbon accelerator for View > Freeze Panes. It locks every row above and every column left of the selected cell so headers stay visible as you scroll. Excel for Mac has no keyboard shortcut for this, so you use the View > Freeze Panes menu.
| Action | Mac | Windows | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freeze panes (rows above + cols left of cell) | View menu → Freeze Panes | Alt, W, F, F | |
| Freeze top row only | View menu → Freeze Top Row | Alt, W, F, R | |
| Freeze first column only | View menu → Freeze First Column | Alt, W, F, C | |
| Unfreeze panes | View menu → Unfreeze Panes | Alt, W, F, F |
How to freeze panes on Windows
Click the cell below the rows and right of the columns you want to keep visible, then tap the keys in sequence: Alt, W, F, F. These are ribbon accelerators (View → Freeze Panes → Freeze Panes), so press them one after another, not together. To freeze only the header row, select cell A2 first — or just use Alt, W, F, R. Running the same Freeze Panes command again unfreezes everything.
Windows vs Mac
Excel for Mac does not assign a keyboard shortcut to Freeze Panes. Open the View tab on the ribbon (or the View menu) and choose Freeze Panes, Freeze Top Row, or Freeze First Column. The behaviour is identical to Windows — only the trigger differs.
FAQ
What is the freeze panes shortcut in Excel?
On Windows press Alt, then W, then F, then F (the View > Freeze Panes ribbon accelerators). Select the cell below and right of the area you want locked first.
Is there a freeze panes shortcut on Mac?
No. Excel for Mac has no keyboard shortcut for Freeze Panes — use the View menu and choose Freeze Panes, Freeze Top Row, or Freeze First Column.
How do I freeze just the top row?
On Windows press Alt, W, F, R. On Mac choose View > Freeze Top Row. This keeps row 1 visible no matter where you scroll.