Hi, I'm Tom Blessing. I'm an expert at helping small to mid-sized companies adopt Power BI. I'm also a recovering investment banker, with deep experience applying technology to otherwise manual data problems. I have dual degrees in Finance and Technology Management from Indiana University.

Resources to help build your fundamentals: Learning Power BI? Data fundamentals are critical for this process to be easier. I've assembled a few DataCamp courses to help. I earn a small commission if you click and purchase.

Introduction to Power BI course: Master Power BI basics and learn to build impactful reports.

Exploratory Data Analysis in Power BI course: Learn about Power BI's Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA) and enhance your reports.

Introduction to SQL course: Learn how to create and query relational databases using SQL in just two hours.

Introduction to DAX course: Learn the fundamentals of Data Analysis Expressions (DAX) such as calculated columns, tables, and measures.

Database Design course: Learn to design databases in SQL to process, store, and organize data in a more efficient way.

When you have a long list of data in your report, scrolling can sometimes become cumbersome, as the headers and context of the data may disappear from view.

The table visualization automatically freezes the headers. But what if you want the first column frozen as you scroll right?

Currently, this isn't possible in the table visualization. 

But it IS possible in the matrix visualization. 

The matrix view "freezes" the first column of data.

In this blog post, I'll explore how to freeze visuals when scrolling in Power BI.

Why Freeze Visuals When Scrolling?

Freezing visuals can significantly enhance the usability of your Power BI reports in several ways:

1. Header Visibility: Users can always see the headers of tables or visuals, which is especially helpful when dealing with large datasets.

2. Context Retention: Freeze panes help users maintain context by keeping key information in view as they scroll through the report.

3. Improved Navigation: Users can navigate through lengthy reports more efficiently, as they don't need to constantly scroll back and forth to reference headers or labels.

4. User-Friendly: It provides a more user-friendly experience, making reports more accessible and easier to understand.

How to Freeze Visuals When Scrolling To The Right in Power BI By Converting Your Table to a Matrix

To freeze visuals when scrolling in Power BI, you can follow these steps:

1. Select the Table Visual: First, select the table that you want to alter.

2. Convert to a "Matrix" Visualization: In the "Visualizations" pane, look for the "Matrix" icon and click on it.

   

3. Evaluate the arrangement of the matrix: When you convert from a table to a matrix, Power BI automatically chooses how your fields should be displayed. You may have a different opinion, so you can make those changes yourself. Regardless, you now have a frozen first column that remains in place as you scroll to the right. 

   

4. Save and Publish: Save your report and publish it to the Power BI service.

5. Test the Report: Test the report in Power BI Desktop or the Power BI service to ensure that the freezing behavior is working as expected. Users should be able to scroll through the report while the first row and column remains fixed in place.

Conclusion

Freezing visuals when scrolling in Power BI can greatly improve the user experience by ensuring that important headers and context information remain visible as users navigate through long reports.

This feature is particularly valuable when dealing with large datasets or complex visuals.

By following the steps outlined in this blog post, you can enhance the usability of your Power BI reports and make them more accessible and user-friendly.