How to Lock the Top Row in Excel so it stays while you scroll

“Lock the top row” usually means: keep the headings on screen while scrolling. That is Freeze Panes. (Locking so nobody can edit the row is a different job — covered at the end.)

Steps

1. Press Ctrl + Home so you are at the top of the sheet.
2. View › Freeze Panes › Freeze Top Row.

Scroll down. Row 1 stays put with a thin line under it.

Lock two rows

1. Click cell A3 (the first cell under the rows to lock).
2. View › Freeze Panes › Freeze Panes.

Lock the top row and the first column together

Click B2, then Freeze Panes. Everything above and left of B2 stays.

Unlock

View › Freeze Panes › Unfreeze Panes.

Check it worked

Ctrl + End jumps to the bottom. The headings are still visible at the top.

Lock the row from editing instead

Select all cells, Ctrl + 1 › Protection › untick Locked. Then select row 1, Ctrl + 1 › tick Locked. Then Review › Protect Sheet. Full steps: lock cells.

Common mistake

Freezing while scrolled down locks the rows currently at the top of the screen, not row 1. Ctrl + Home first.