How to Limit the Scroll Area in Excel (3 Methods)

Dataset Overview

We’ll use a data set containing World Cup Winners and Runner Ups to demonstrate these methods.

Method 1 – Manually Limit Scroll Area

• Open your Excel sheet.
• Go to the Developer tab.
• Click on Properties.

• In the ScrollArea box, specify the area you want to scroll (e.g., A1:E30).

• This will keep that area active while fixing other areas.

Note: This is a short-term solution; changes will be lost when you close and reopen the file.

Method 2 – Hide Option from Context Menu

• Select column F.
• Press CTRL+SHIFT+Right Arrow to select all columns to the right of column E.

• Right-click and choose Hide. This hides all columns from F onward.

• For rows, select row 31 and press CTRL+SHIFT+Down Arrow to select all rows from 31 downward.

• Right-click and choose Hide.

Your scroll area will now be limited to Column F and Row 30.

Method 3 – Use VBA Code

• Go to the Developer tab and select Visual Basic.

• Click on Module.

Enter the following code and close the window:

Sub controllScrollarea() 
Dim sk As Worksheet
Set sk = ActiveSheet 
sk.ScrollArea = "$A$1: $E$30"
End Sub

• Customize the range (A1:E30) as needed.
• Go to Macros, select the macro, and click Run.
• You’ll now be constrained to scroll within the specified area.

Download Practice Workbook

You can download the practice workbook from here:

Related Articles

• Smooth Scrolling with Mouse Wheel in Excel 
• How to Move Up and Down in Excel
• Viewing Multiple Workbooks: Synchronous Scrolling in Excel
• [Fixed!] Excel Scrolling Too Many Rows 
• How to Scroll One Row at a Time in Excel

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