# XLSX Freeze Pane Manager

Freeze top rows/left columns automatically and apply row or column outline groups for easier spreadsheet reading

> Canonical page: https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/xlsx-freeze-pane-manager

- **Category:** Format Conversion

- **Keywords:** xlsx, freeze panes, outline, group rows, group columns, exceljs

## Overview

Improve workbook readability for large tables.

- Freezes top rows on selected worksheets
- Auto-freezes the first column when the sheet is wide enough
- Applies row and column outline groups from JSON ranges
- Supports collapsed-style exports by hiding grouped ranges

## Inputs

- **Workbook File** (file)
- **Target Sheets** (text): Sheet1,Sheet2 (blank = all sheets)
- **Freeze Rows** (number)
- **Freeze Columns** (number)
- **Auto Freeze First Column** (checkbox)
- **Min Columns For Auto Freeze** (number)
- **Row Groups JSON** (textarea): \[ { "from": 2, "to": 20, "level": 1 }, { "from": 3, "to": 8, "level": 2 } \]
- **Column Groups JSON** (textarea): \[ { "from": 2, "to": 6, "level": 1 }, { "from": 7, "to": 10, "level": 1 } \]
- **Collapse Groups By Hiding** (checkbox)
- **Summary Below** (checkbox)
- **Summary Right** (checkbox)

## When to use

- When you need to keep headers visible while scrolling through extensive datasets.
- When organizing complex reports that require hierarchical row or column grouping.
- When preparing wide spreadsheets that benefit from automatically locking the first column for context.

## How it works

- Upload your Excel file and specify the target sheet names if you wish to limit the scope.
- Define the number of rows and columns to freeze, or enable auto-detection for the first column.
- Input your grouping requirements using JSON format to define row and column outline levels.
- Select whether to collapse groups by hiding them or keep them expanded in the final output.

## Use cases

- Standardizing header visibility across a multi-tab financial report.
- Creating collapsible data sections for complex project management trackers.
- Improving navigation in wide data exports by locking key identifier columns.

## Frequently asked questions

### Can I apply different freeze settings to different sheets?

Yes, you can specify target sheet names to apply unique configurations to specific tabs within your workbook.

### What is the purpose of the 'Auto Freeze First Column' option?

It automatically locks the first column of your sheet if the total column count exceeds your defined minimum threshold, ensuring context remains visible.

### How do I define row or column groups?

Use the Row Groups JSON or Column Groups JSON fields to provide an array of objects specifying the 'from' index, 'to' index, and the 'level' of the group.

### What happens when 'Collapse Groups By Hiding' is enabled?

The tool will hide the rows or columns defined in your groups, effectively collapsing the outline levels in the exported file.

### Does this tool support both .xlsx and .xls files?

Yes, the tool supports standard OpenXML spreadsheet formats including .xlsx and .xls.

## Related tools

- [XLSX Chart Embedder](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/xlsx-chart-embedder): Embed generated chart images into Excel workbooks using workbook data ranges for bar or pie chart reports
- [XLSX Column Mapper](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/xlsx-column-mapper): Rename, reorder, and drop Excel columns with alias matching and case/whitespace normalization
- [XLSX Formula Injector](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/xlsx-formula-injector): Fill formulas down worksheet columns and optionally lock formula cells for protected, template-friendly Excel workbooks
- [XLSX Named Range Injector](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/xlsx-named-range-injector): Create or update workbook-level named ranges so formulas, validations, and reusable templates can reference stable Excel names
- [XLSX Parquet Exporter](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/xlsx-parquet-exporter): Export worksheet data to Parquet and/or NDJSON for data lake and data warehouse pipelines
- [XLSX Print Setup Pack](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/xlsx-print-setup-pack): Apply paper, margins, scaling, repeating titles, and header/footer print settings to Excel workbooks in one pass
- [XLSX Range Extractor](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/xlsx-range-extractor): Extract a specific sheet/range/named-range from Excel into JSON with coordinates or record objects
- [Excel to JSON Converter](https://elysiatools.com/en/tools/excel-to-json): Convert Excel file to JSON format, extracting data from the first worksheet

## Samples

- [XLSX Samples](https://elysiatools.com/en/samples/xlsx-samples): Sample XLSX spreadsheets for worksheet parsing and data extraction testing
- [XLS Samples](https://elysiatools.com/en/samples/xls-samples): Sample legacy Excel (XLS) files for binary spreadsheet parsing and import tests
- [pnpm Package Manager Samples](https://elysiatools.com/en/samples/pnpm): Fast, disk space efficient package manager examples including monorepo management, workspace configuration, and advanced workflows
- [Android Serialization Java Samples](https://elysiatools.com/en/samples/android-serialization-java): Android Java serialization examples including JSON serialization, deserialization, and XML parsing