> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://learn.nextedy.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Configure Freeze Panes

> Freeze panes keep specific columns visible while scrolling horizontally through a wide Nextedy RISKSHEET grid, ensuring key identifier columns (such as item ID or failure mode title) remain in view at all times.

export const LastReviewed = ({date}) => {
  if (!date) return null;
  const formatted = new Date(`${date}T00:00:00Z`).toLocaleDateString("en-US", {
    year: "numeric",
    month: "long",
    day: "numeric",
    timeZone: "UTC"
  });
  return <p className="mt-10 text-sm text-gray-400 dark:text-zinc-500 not-prose">
      Last reviewed on {formatted}
    </p>;
};

## Prerequisites

* Access to the `risksheet.json` configuration file for your document
* Administrator or configuration editor permissions
* A Risksheet document with enough columns to require horizontal scrolling

## Understanding Freeze Panes in Risksheet

When your Risksheet has many columns (common in FMEA analyses with severity, occurrence, detection, RPN, mitigation tasks, and traceability columns), horizontal scrolling becomes necessary. Without freeze panes, the leftmost identifier columns scroll out of view, making it difficult to know which risk item you are editing.

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/none-17b4493f/yWl5nA2D0IzEnZC1/risksheet/diagrams/guides/visualization/freeze-panes/diagram-1.svg?fit=max&auto=format&n=yWl5nA2D0IzEnZC1&q=85&s=1d59f1094a43289a2a0c7c6d7454d113" alt="diagram" style={{ maxWidth: "640px", width: "100%" }} width="640" height="320" data-path="risksheet/diagrams/guides/visualization/freeze-panes/diagram-1.svg" />
</Frame>

<Steps>
  <Step title="Identify Columns to Freeze">
    Determine which columns should remain visible during horizontal scrolling. Typically, you freeze:

    * The row header (always visible by default)
    * The item ID column
    * The primary descriptor column (e.g., failure mode name, hazard description)

    Review your current column configuration in `risksheet.json` to identify the column IDs for the columns you want to freeze.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Configure the Freeze Position">
    Set the freeze position directly from the Risksheet toolbar. Click the **Menu** button, open the **Freeze** submenu, and choose how many of the leftmost columns stay fixed when scrolling horizontally:

    * **No columns** — nothing is frozen (the default).
    * **1 column** — freeze the first column.
    * **2 columns** — freeze the first two columns.
    * **Up to selected column** — freeze every column up to and including the one you have selected.

    You can also set the freeze position by right-clicking a row and choosing **Freeze Pane** (or **Unfreeze Pane** to clear it).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Adjust Column Order">
    Freeze panes work on the leftmost columns in the grid. If the columns you want to freeze are not at the left edge, reorder your `columns` array in `risksheet.json` so that the columns you want frozen appear first.

    ```json theme={null}
    {
      "columns": [
        {
          "id": "systemItemId",
          "header": "ID",
          "bindings": "systemItemId",
          "type": "string",
          "readOnly": true
        },
        {
          "id": "title",
          "header": "Failure Mode",
          "bindings": "title",
          "type": "string"
        },
        {
          "id": "severity",
          "header": "Severity (S)",
          "bindings": "severity",
          "type": "rating:severity"
        }
      ]
    }
    ```

    In this example, if the freeze position is set to 2, the `systemItemId` and `title` columns remain visible while all subsequent columns (starting with `severity`) scroll horizontally.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Consider Column Widths">
    Frozen columns consume horizontal space permanently. If you freeze too many wide columns, the scrollable area becomes too narrow for comfortable editing.

    | Recommendation           | Guideline                                                                |
    | ------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
    | Number of frozen columns | 1-3 columns maximum                                                      |
    | Total frozen width       | No more than 30-40% of the viewport width                                |
    | Frozen column widths     | Use the `width` and `minWidth` properties to keep frozen columns compact |

    ```json theme={null}
    {
      "columns": [
        {
          "id": "systemItemId",
          "header": "ID",
          "bindings": "systemItemId",
          "width": 80,
          "minWidth": 60
        },
        {
          "id": "title",
          "header": "Failure Mode",
          "bindings": "title",
          "width": 200,
          "minWidth": 150
        }
      ]
    }
    ```

    <Warning title="Wide frozen columns on small screens">
      If frozen columns consume too much horizontal space, users on smaller screens or lower resolutions may have very little room for the scrollable columns. Test your configuration at different screen sizes.
    </Warning>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Test with Saved Views">
    If you use [saved views](/risksheet/guides/customization/saved-views) that change column visibility, verify that freeze panes work correctly when switching between views. Hiding or showing columns may affect which columns are in the frozen region.

    <Tip title="Consistent column order across views">
      Keep identifier columns (ID, title) at the leftmost position across all saved views to ensure freeze panes remain useful regardless of which view is active.
    </Tip>
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Verification

After applying the freeze pane configuration:

1. Reload the Risksheet page to apply the new configuration.
2. Scroll horizontally using the scrollbar at the bottom of the grid.
3. Verify that the configured columns remain fixed on the left side.
4. Verify that all scrollable columns can be reached and edited normally.
5. Test at different browser window widths to ensure the frozen region does not consume excessive space.

You should now see the frozen columns remain stationary while the rest of the grid scrolls horizontally, keeping your key identifier columns visible at all times.

## See Also

* [Understanding the Interface](/risksheet/getting-started/understanding-interface) -- Overview of the Risksheet grid interface
* [Configure Column Sorting](/risksheet/guides/columns/sorting) -- Set default sort order for the grid
* [Control Column Visibility](/risksheet/guides/columns/column-visibility) -- Show/hide columns per view
* [Create Saved Views](/risksheet/guides/customization/saved-views) -- Define column visibility presets
* [Add a Basic Column](/risksheet/guides/columns/add-basic-column) -- Column configuration fundamentals

<LastReviewed date="2026-06-24" />