To keep column labels visible as you scroll a long table in Numbers on your Mac, select the table, open the Format sidebar’s Table tab, and choose Freeze Header Rows from the pop-up menu below Headers & Footer. If the table has no header row yet, add one first. You can freeze header columns too, and turn either setting off from the same menu. Apple’s Numbers guide

Freeze an existing header row

  1. Open your spreadsheet in Numbers and click the table whose headings should stay visible. The table must be selected for its formatting controls to appear.
  2. In the Format sidebar, click Table.
  3. Under Headers & Footer, find the pop-up menus below the controls for header and footer counts. Open the menu for rows and choose Freeze Header Rows.
  4. Scroll down within the spreadsheet. The table’s header row or rows should remain visible while the body moves.

Apple documents that freezing keeps header rows visible while scrolling the spreadsheet. The command applies to table header rows, so confirm that the labels you want to keep in view are actually set up as headers. A row that merely contains bold text or looks like a heading is not necessarily a header row in the table structure. Apple’s guide to adding and freezing table rows

If the table does not have a header row

Click the table, then stay in the Format sidebar’s Table tab. Under Headers & Footer, use the header-row pop-up menu to choose a count greater than zero. Numbers converts the corresponding top row or rows of the table into header rows, keeping their existing contents. Then use the separate freeze menu below Headers & Footer and choose Freeze Header Rows. Apple says a table can have up to five header rows, which is useful when your headings span more than one row. Apple’s Numbers guide

Check the top of the table before changing the header count: converting a data row into a header changes its structural role. If the first row contains ordinary data rather than column names, adding a header row may turn that data row into a header. Decide which row should hold the labels first; if needed, add a row in the table and put the labels there before freezing.

Freeze columns as well, or undo the setting

For wide tables, use the corresponding pop-up menu below Headers & Footer and choose Freeze Header Columns to keep the table’s left-side labels visible during horizontal scrolling. Header columns are distinct from header rows, and Numbers lets you freeze either or both. To undo a freeze, open the same menu and select the checked Freeze Header Rows or Freeze Header Columns command again; Apple describes deselecting the command as the way to unfreeze. Apple’s Numbers guide

When you mean printing rather than scrolling

Freezing is for the on-screen spreadsheet. If your goal is to repeat headings on printed pages, choose File > Print and select Repeat table headers in the Print Setup sidebar. Apple documents that this prints table headers on each page where the table appears; it is a separate print option, not the scrolling freeze control. Apple’s print guide for Numbers

Sources