Need to make your Excel spreadsheets more accessible?
Start by “freezing” column or row headings.
Why is this helpful?
According to the folks at the University of Minnesota’s Accessible U:
“Long lists of data are much easier to read if you freeze column or row headings to allow users to keep both the heading and the data visible. Freezing data aids usability by minimizing cognitive load, and it doesn’t interfere with a screen reader’s ability to read the data.”
Here’s how to freeze rows or columns in an Excel spreadsheet
NOTE: You can only freeze rows at the top and columns on the left side of the worksheet. Freezing rows and columns in the middle of the worksheet will not work.
1) To lock one row only, choose the View tab, and then click Freeze Top Row.
2) To lock one column only, choose the View tab, and then click Freeze First Column.
3) To lock more than one row or column, or to lock both rows and columns at the same time, choose the View tab, and then click Freeze Panes. You will want your cursor to be below the row(s) you want to freeze and to the right of any column(s) you want to freeze.
4) To lock multiple rows (starting with row 1), select the row below the last row you want frozen, choose the View tab, and then click Freeze Panes.
5) To lock multiple columns, select the column to the right of the last column you want frozen, choose the View tab, and then click Freeze Panes.
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