Your Google Sheets can have a persistent header that remains there no matter how much you scroll down. This guide below will tell you how to make such a header.
This is a tutorial to help you make a Google Sheets header. It’s not just Google Docs or Microsoft Word that can make headers.
You can also have spreadsheets have their proverbial title screen on your spreadsheet in order to inform viewers of the data and what sort of spreadsheet it is.
On that note, why should you add a header for your Google Sheets spreadsheet? Isn’t it redundant? Shouldn’t the title on the file or the individual sheet be enough?
Why Create a Header in Google Sheets?
Headers on spreadsheets work the same as headers on an article or webpage. They help ensure people viewing the file what the spreadsheet is all about, whether it’s a task list for all workers, a payment tally sheet, or data on your favorite basketball players and whatnot.
You don’t have to worry about being inexperienced in adding Google Sheet headers. It’s easy to learn and you can literally add them any time to help label what a given spreadsheet is all about. It also only takes a few steps to accomplish to boot.
How to Create a Header in Google Sheets
Step 1: Open a Google Sheets file, specifically one that doesn’t have a header yet. Usually, people don’t put in headers, with them depending on the file name on the top left or the sheet name down below to label each file.
Step 2: Right-click the row number you want to insert your header into. Unless your data is in the middle of the spreadsheet, you’d naturally put it as row 1. Specifically, go for the “Insert 1 Row Above” option.
Step 3: Above your data, a new blank row should appear. This is where you can put in your header. The name of the header could be anything you want.
Step 4: Put in the header info for each of your data columns. It can be as simple as the name of the spreadsheet or as complex as headers on a table, with each column data point being named.
Right below, I’ve merely scrolled to the left to show that I’ve put a “Send To:” header to the email of my boss, who assigns me these article assignments for my job.
This column-labeling method works best on a spreadsheet containing multiple columns of data so that you can create a persistent header (more on this later) even as you scroll downward.
Step 5: You can also put in the sheet label as the header name too. In this case, I named the sheet “Article List Mi Destino” (with the company name being “Mi Destino”) so the header could instead read “Mi Destino Article List”.
How to Freeze the Header in Google Sheets
Step 1: After you’ve already made the header above, you can freeze it using two methods. The first one is the drag & drop method. Go to the top-left gray pane and wait until your mouse arrow or curser turns into a hand.
Step 2: Drag the gray line or pane downwards until it reaches Row 1, where your header is. This freezes your header.
Step 3: Now as you scroll down the document, you’ll see that the header remains on top.
Step 4: You can alternatively use the “View menu” method. It involves selecting the first cell of your header bar then going straight to the “View” menu in order to select “Freeze” and then select “Up to row 1” or “1 row” to also freeze the header.
This should get you the same result, with your header frozen no matter how far down you go down the spreadsheet. That’s the point—it’s to make your header visible at all times.
The Score
It’s easy to make a header in Google Sheets. You can even make it persistently follow you on-screen to serve as a label for a specific sheet on your spreadsheet file lest you forget. It’s basically just using a top row to put in your header text and then using the freeze feature to make it visible always.
Your header could be the label you have for your whole spreadsheet or it could be the headers of a table of data that goes beyond one screen. Freezing the header is also helpful in sorting out your data without including the header content in the sorting.
References:
- “How To Create A Header In Google Sheets“, SheetsforMarketers.com, Retrieved June 14, 2022
- “How can I freeze rows and columns in Google Sheets?“, Sheetgo.com Blog, Retrieved June 10, 2022
- “Freeze or merge rows & columns – Google Docs Editors Help“, Google.com Support, Retrieved June 10, 2022