What does freezing panes allow you to do in Excel?

Freezing panes in Excel is a feature that allows users to keep specific rows or columns visible while scrolling through a worksheet. This is particularly useful in large datasets where you may want to maintain visibility of headers or key identifiers as you navigate through the data. By freezing a row, you can ensure that those header cells remain visible at the top of the screen, even when you scroll down, which enhances readability and helps users understand the context of the data they are reviewing. Similarly, freezing a column allows a user to keep important identifying information visible on the left side of the screen while scrolling horizontally through data.

The other options do not accurately describe the function of freezing panes. Locking document editing pertains to restricting edits rather than managing visibility of data, protecting cells from editing is a separate function that secures specific cells, and automatically sorting data is an entirely different action used to organize data rather than maintain visibility while scrolling.