How To Make A Header In Google Sheets

Last Updated on November 1, 2023 by Jake Sheridan

In this tutorial, you will learn how to make a header in google sheets.

If you’re working with more than one column of data in Google Sheets, you’ll need some way to tell which column is which. While it’s easy to add a row of labels at the top of your data and call it a day, a simple trick in Google Sheets can help you read your headers from anywhere in your spreadsheet without having to scroll to the top of the document. Read on to learn how.

Adding A Header Row

If you don’t already have a header row in your spreadsheet, here’s how to add one:

Step 1

Right click on the row number beside your first row of data and choose Insert Row before to insert a row for your headers

Step 2

In the newly inserted row, enter header labels for each column of data in your sheet

Step 3

You can also format the header with larger or bold font, colors or any other formatting to make it stand out

Freezing the Header Row

Once you have your header text added, it’s time to freeze it at the top of the document so it remains visible even when you scroll. Note that the following steps will work best if your header row is very near the top of the spreadsheet, specifically in the first or second row. If there are additional rows above it, you may want to change the layout of your spreadsheet now to avoid having a large number of frozen rows at the top of the sheet when you scroll

Step 1

Select one or more cells in your header row. If your header is in the first or second row, you can skip this step.

Step 2

Open the View menu and hover over the Freeze submenu, then choose an option. If your header is in the first or second row, choose the corresponding number of rows to freeze. If your header is in another row and you completed Step 1, you should see the option to freeze all rows up to your header row

Step 3

A wide grey line will appear underneath your header row, showing that the header and all rows above it are frozen. When you scroll the sheet, the frozen rows will remain in place

Summary

Example Spreadsheet: Make a copy of the example spreadsheet

In this tutorial, I covered how to make a header in google sheets. Want more? Check out all the Google Sheets Tutorials.