All shortcuts
Freeze Panes in Google Sheets
Windows
Alt→W→F→F
Mac
Option→W→F→F
Freezing header rows is one of the first things you do in any big sheet. Excel’s Alt W F F freezes at the active cell. Google Sheets makes you open View > Freeze and pick from a list.
With XLKeys, Alt W F F freezes rows and columns at your current selection in Google Sheets, and Alt W F U unfreezes — exactly the Excel behavior your hands expect.
Excel vs. Google Sheets vs. XLKeys
| Where | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Excel | Alt→W→F→F |
| Google Sheets (native) | No keyboard shortcut |
| Google Sheets + XLKeys | Alt→W→F→F |
Google Sheets freezes rows and columns only through the View > Freeze menu or by dragging the gray pane bars.
How to use it
- Click the cell below and to the right of where you want the freeze.
- Press Alt, release it, then type W, F, F.
- Rows above and columns left of the active cell are frozen.
- Unfreeze any time with Alt → W → F → U.
Frequently asked questions
Related shortcuts
Make Google Sheets feel like Excel
Install XLKeys to use freeze panes and 150+ other Excel-style shortcuts, Alt-key sequences, formula auditing, Goal Seek, and Sensitivity Tables in Google Sheets.