How to Lock Rows in Excel: Freeze and Protect

On the Work Tracker sheet:

1. Select A7, immediately below rows 1-6.
2. Choose View > Freeze Panes > Freeze Panes.
3. Scroll down and confirm that rows 1-6 remain visible.

Excel freezes the rows above the selected cell and the columns to its left. When you select A7, rows 1-6 freeze without any columns freezing. If you selected B7 instead, Excel would also freeze column A.

Microsoft explains this selection behavior in its Freeze Panes guidance.

Select A7 and apply Freeze Panes to keep rows 1-6 visible; unlock A7:F12 before protecting the sheet.

Excel cells are marked Locked by default, but that setting isn’t enforced until you protect the worksheet.

To keep the task-entry area editable:

1. Select Work Tracker!A7:F12.
2. Right-click and choose Format Cells, or press Ctrl+1.
3. Open the Protection tab.
4. Clear Locked.
5. Select OK.

Next, select A1:F6 and confirm that Format Cells > Protection > Locked remains selected. After you enable protection, this summary and header area should resist ordinary edits.

Now enforce the Locked settings:

1. Choose Review > Protect Sheet.
2. Keep Select unlocked cells enabled.
3. Choose any other actions users should be allowed to perform.
4. Enter a password only if your workbook process requires one.
5. Confirm the protection settings.

Protection applies to the entire worksheet, so cells outside A7:F12 will also resist ordinary edits unless you unlock them before protecting the sheet.

If you use a protection password, store it securely. Worksheet protection helps prevent unwanted changes, but it isn’t encryption and doesn’t replace file-access controls. See Microsoft’s worksheet protection guidance.

Test the two controls independently:

1. Scroll below row 12. Rows 1-6 should remain visible.
2. Change a value in A7:F12. Excel should accept the edit.
3. Try changing A1 or another cell in A1:F6. Excel should reject the edit while protection is active.
4. Choose Review > Unprotect Sheet. Rows 1-6 should remain frozen because worksheet protection and Freeze Panes operate separately.

If you’re using the supplied practice workbook, check that its summaries respond to an input change:

1. Change C8 from 5 to 6.
2. Change D8 from Open to Done.
3. Confirm these displayed results:

After the check, restore C8 to 5 and D8 to Open. These expected values come from the supplied workbook’s recorded calculation case. They confirm that its formulas respond to input changes, but they don’t confirm that Excel’s Freeze Panes or worksheet protection settings are active.

Freezing controls scrolling, while sheet protection enforces the Locked property.

For related guidance on separating controlled calculations from editable inputs, see how to choose and set up finance spreadsheet templates.