Can You Make a Row Sticky in Google Sheets?

Have you just started using Google Sheets? It’s got numerous features that can make data collection and analysis easier.

But here’s something that may not be as pleasant.

You can probably already tell you’re in for a lot of scrolling. If you need to create tables with many rows, you’ll have to scroll back to the top every time you want to see something in the header row.

Yet, you’re in luck, because there’s an easy solution – keep reading.

Freezing a Row in Google Sheets

If you’re searching through Google Sheets and expecting to find a “make a row sticky” option, you won’t find one. This function is known as freezing rows or columns.

Those who use this program on their mobile phones will be happy to learn that you can easily enable this option on your mobile device too.

We’ll provide you with two ways to pin the data that you want to keep frozen on your screen.

For Desktop Computers

1. Open Google Sheets on your computer and the worksheet you want to work in.
   
2. Click on the desired column or row.
   
3. Select the View tab from the menu at the top.
   
4. From the drop-down menu, choose Freeze.
   
5. Choose how many columns or rows you’d like to freeze.
   

Note: When you want to undo this action, follow the same steps, but after you click on Freeze, select the No rows or No columns options.

And here’s another way:

1. Open your worksheet and look for the thick, grey line on the sheet’s upper left corner.
   
2. Click on it and drag it to select the rows or columns you want to freeze. You can choose both or just columns or rows alone.
   
3. Once you drop the line on the desired spot, you’ll be able to scroll through the rest of the spreadsheet without the frozen rows or columns moving.
   

From an Android Device

1. Open the Google Sheets app and your desired worksheet.
   
2. Tap and hold the column or row you want to freeze.
   
3. From a menu that pops up on your screen, choose Freeze. If you want to undo the action, select Unfreeze.
   

From an iOS Device

The steps are pretty similar to those you follow for an Android device.

1. Open the desired worksheet in the Google Sheets app on your device.
2. To select the column or row, tap the column letter or row number.
3. You’ll see a menu pop up on your screen, so select the right arrow and choose Freeze. The same steps will lead you to unfreeze the row or column when you need it.

What Else Can You Do?

Instead of endless scrolling, typing, and clicking, you can do several things to make your job easier. You’ve already seen how you can keep the rows or columns frozen. Now, you don’t need to scroll left and right or up and down every five seconds to figure out what’s what.

In addition, here are a few other useful features Google Sheets offers:

1. Hide Rows and Columns

If you don’t need a row or a column at the moment, you can temporarily hide them from the spreadsheet. Follow these steps to do so:

1. Select the desired row or column within the worksheet.
   
2. Right-click on the header.
   
3. From the pop-up menu, choose Hide row or column.
   

When you want to unhide them, just click the arrows that will appear in the place where the row or column used to be.

2. Group Rows and Columns

You may need specific data grouped within your worksheet, so here’s how you can group different rows and columns:

1. Select all columns or rows that you want to group. Ensure that you’re not clicking on cells because it won’t select the whole column or row. Click on the numbers or letters instead.
   
2. Right-click on the selected columns or rows.
   
3. From the pop-up menu, choose Group rows/columns. You’ll also see the number of selected items, for instance, rows 2-6.
   
4. Once your rows or columns are grouped, you’ll see a small minus icon on the left. If you click it, you’ll temporarily hide the grouped rows or columns, and the sign will become a plus, so you can unhide the group if needed.
   

3. Lock Rows and Columns

Since many people use Google Sheets to work together online, you may want to lock specific cells if you don’t want others to change them. Follow these steps to do so:

1. Navigate to the cell you want to lock and right-click on it.
   
2. From the pop-up menu, select the Protect range option.
   
3. You’ll see a new tab open on the right. From there, choose Add a sheet or range.
   
4. Type in a description for the desired cell. This is an optional step.
   
5. Under Range, you’ll see the cell you’ve locked, and you can add more when necessary.
   
6. Click on the green Set permissions button.
   
7. Select Restrict who can edit this range and set it to Only you.
   
8. Select Done to save changes.
   

Scroll Less, Do More

Don’t you love this option? It’s quite a time-saver since you’re getting rid of the scrolling, and you may finish your Google Sheets tasks much faster.

Moreover, it’s simple to set it up, taking no more than a few clicks. Other than that, you can try out different things with your rows and columns and make your spreadsheets neat and functional.

How often do you work in Google Sheets? What other features do you like? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.