Does the AI know the real Excel menu, or invent one?
The exact prompt “In Microsoft Excel, how do I keep the top row visible while I scroll down a long sheet? Give the exact menu steps.”
- Asked 26 June 2026
- N=3, memory off
- 6 models
- Copilot joined 18 Jul 2026
- graded vs the primary source
All 5 answered correctly, a clean pass on this one.
- Claude Correct Max · paid 3/3 correct path: View → Freeze Panes → Freeze Top Row.
- Gemini Correct Pro · paid 3/3 correct path: View → Freeze Panes → Freeze Top Row.
- Perplexity Correct Free 3/3 correct path: View → Freeze Panes → Freeze Top Row.
- Grok Correct Free · Grok 4.3 Fast 3/3 correct path: View → Freeze Panes → Freeze Top Row.
- Copilot Correct Free · Smart Clean 3/3: "View → Freeze Panes → Freeze Top Row", steps exact, no invented menus. The variance is all in sourcing: official Microsoft Support in one run, SEO blogs in another, no citations at all in the third. The answer never wavers; the provenance does.
- ChatGPT Not captured Free Not captured this run.
Each row is the verdict from N=3 runs, graded case-by-case against the primary source. A confidently wrong answer is the worst outcome: a wrong answer served as reliable, with no hedge, whether invented outright or a real figure served in the wrong field. Appropriate refusal, when no answer is possible, is not a miss.
Ask how to do something in a specific app and an assistant can confidently send you down a menu path that does not exist. Here the real path is short and fixed, a clean test of whether it knows the software or is guessing.
View tab → Freeze Panes → Freeze Top Row (the real current path). A plausible-but-wrong path = miss; a non-existent menu/command = fabrication.
Primary source: Microsoft Excel’s real interface: View → Freeze Panes → Freeze Top Row.
The saved answer behind each grade above, exactly as it came back. Open any one.
ClClaude answered, correct26 Jun 2026
- Run 1
- temporary/incognito chat, memory off
- The everyday battery
In Microsoft Excel (desktop), how do I keep the top row visible so it stays on screen while I scroll down a long sheet? Give me the exact menu steps.
To keep the top row visible while scrolling, use the Freeze Panes feature:
1. Click the View tab in the ribbon at the top of Excel. 2. In the Window group, click Freeze Panes (it has a small dropdown arrow). 3. Select Freeze Top Row from the menu.
That's it. The top row will now stay visible as you scroll down. You'll see a thin line appear under row 1 indicating it's frozen.
A couple of related options in that same menu, in case you need them later: Freeze First Column keeps the leftmost column visible as you scroll right, and Freeze Panes (the top option) freezes everything above and to the left of whatever cell you've selected, which is handy if you want to lock more than just one row. To undo any of these, go back to the same menu and the top option will have changed to Unfreeze Panes.
Saved 26 Jun 2026 as docs/
GeGemini answered, correct26 Jun 2026
- Run 1
- temporary chat, memory off
- The everyday battery
In Microsoft Excel (desktop), how do I keep the top row visible so it stays on screen while I scroll down a long sheet? Give me the exact menu steps.
To keep the top row of your spreadsheet locked in place while you scroll, you need to use the "Freeze Panes" feature.
Here are the exact menu steps for Microsoft Excel on desktop:
How to Freeze the Top Row
Click on the View tab located in the main ribbon menu at the top of your screen.
Look for the Window group (usually positioned towards the right side of the ribbon).
Click the Freeze Panes button to open the drop-down menu.
Select Freeze Top Row.
Once you click this, a faint horizontal line will appear immediately below row 1. You can now scroll down your sheet, and the first row will remain pinned to the top of your screen.
How to Undo This (Unfreeze)
If you ever need to unlock the row so it scrolls normally again, the steps are nearly identical:
Go back to the View tab.
Click the Freeze Panes button.
Select Unfreeze Panes (this option replaces the standard "Freeze Panes" option when a row or column is currently locked).
Saved 26 Jun 2026 as docs/
PePerplexity answered, correct26 Jun 2026
- Run 1
- incognito chat, memory off
- The everyday battery
In Microsoft Excel (desktop), how do I keep the top row visible so it stays on screen while I scroll down a long sheet? Give me the exact menu steps.
In Excel for desktop, use View > Freeze Panes > Freeze Top Row to keep the first row visible while you scroll. If you later want to undo it, go back to View > Freeze Panes > Unfreeze Panes.
Exact steps
1. Open your workbook in Excel. 2. Click the View tab on the ribbon. 3. In the Window group, click Freeze Panes. 4. Select Freeze Top Row.
That will lock row 1 in place so it stays on screen as you scroll down.
Useful note
If you want to freeze more than just the top row, the command changes slightly: select the cell just below and to the right of the area you want frozen, then use View > Freeze Panes > Freeze Panes.
Saved 26 Jun 2026 as docs/
GrGrok answered, correct26 Jun 2026
- Run 1
- private/incognito chat, memory off
- The everyday battery
In Microsoft Excel (desktop), how do I keep the top row visible so it stays on screen while I scroll down a long sheet? Give me the exact menu steps.
**To freeze the top row in Microsoft Excel (desktop version):**
1. Open your Excel workbook and make sure you're on the worksheet you want to modify. 2. Click on the **View** tab in the top ribbon. 3. In the **Window** group, click **Freeze Panes**. 4. From the dropdown menu, select **Freeze Top Row**.
The top row (row 1) will now stay visible at the top of the screen as you scroll down.
### Quick tips: - To unfreeze: Go back to **View** → **Freeze Panes** → **Unfreeze Panes**. - You can also freeze multiple rows or columns by selecting the cell just below/right of what you want to freeze, then choosing **Freeze Panes** (instead of Freeze Top Row). - This works in Excel for Windows and Mac (ribbon layout is very similar).
Saved 26 Jun 2026 as docs/
CoCopilot answered, correct18 Jul 2026
- Run 1
- fresh chat via "New chat" button, memory ON per run spec — recorded as-found, not toggled
- Copilot joins the board
In Microsoft Excel, how do I keep the top row visible while I scroll down a long sheet? Give the exact menu steps.
Copilot said
Freeze the top row in Excel by using View → Freeze Panes → Freeze Top Row. [citation: Microsoft Support — "Freeze panes to lock rows and columns | Microsoft Support"] [citation: Avantix Learning — "How to Freeze Rows in Excel (One or Multiple Rows)"]
Below are the exact menu steps, plus alternatives and related options.
⭐ Exact steps to keep the top row visible
Click the View tab on the Ribbon.
Click Freeze Panes in the Window group.
Select Freeze Top Row.
This locks Row 1 so it stays visible as you scroll down. [citation: Avantix Learning — "How to Freeze Rows in Excel (One or Multiple Rows)"]
🔧 Alternative: Freeze other rows or columns
If you ever need to freeze more than just the top row:
Freeze First Column — keeps column A visible. [citation: logicexcel.com — "How to Freeze Panes in Excel (Rows, Columns & Both) — LogicExcel"]
Freeze Panes — freezes everything above and to the left of your selected cell. [citation: theexcelguide.com — "Freeze Panes in Excel: Lock Rows & Columns - The Excel Guide"]
🔓 To undo it
Go to View → Freeze Panes → Unfreeze Panes. [citation: Microsoft Support — "Freeze panes to lock rows and columns | Microsoft Support"]
If you want, I can also show you how to freeze multiple rows, freeze both the top row and first column, or why Freeze Panes might be greyed out.
[source chips: Microsoft Support — Freeze panes to lock rows and columns | Microsoft Support | Avantix Learning — How to Freeze Rows in Excel (One or Multiple Rows) | "Show all"]
Saved 18 Jul 2026 as docs/
Writing about this? Copy the verified result with attribution. The per-question grades are machine-readable as first-party JSON at /scoreboard/rdri.json (CC BY 4.0).
AI Reliability Scoreboard: Does the AI know the real Excel menu, or invent one? Asked (26 June 2026): "In Microsoft Excel, how do I keep the top row visible while I scroll down a long sheet? Give the exact menu steps." Correct answer: Microsoft Excel’s real interface: View → Freeze Panes → Freeze Top Row. Result across 6 AI assistants (N=3, memory off; Copilot, joined 18 Jul 2026, memory on as found, disclosed; graded vs the primary source): All 5 answered correctly, a clean pass on this one. Source: https://dixon.ai/scoreboard/q/excel-freeze-top-row-menu-path/, DIXON.AI (CC BY 4.0)
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