how-to-make-columns-read-only-in-the-windows-forms-datagridview-control.md

title	description	ms.date	dev_langs	helpviewer_keywords	ms.assetid
Make Columns Read-Only in DataGridView Control	Learn how to make columns read-only in the Windows Form DataGridView Control to prevent users from editing cells in that column.	03/30/2017	csharp vb	data grids [Windows Forms], read-only columns DataGridView control [Windows Forms], read-only columns	2bb73ebb-1a55-4362-9fda-e50574c087d5

How to: Make Columns Read-Only in the Windows Forms DataGridView Control

Not all data is meant for editing. In the xref:System.Windows.Forms.DataGridView control, the column xref:System.Windows.Forms.DataGridViewColumn.ReadOnly%2A property value determines whether users can edit cells in that column. For information about how to make the control entirely read-only, see How to: Prevent Row Addition and Deletion in the Windows Forms DataGridView Control.

There is support for this task in Visual Studio. Also see How to: Make Columns Read-Only in the Windows Forms DataGridView Control Using the Designer.

To make a column read-only programmatically

• Set the xref:System.Windows.Forms.DataGridViewColumn.ReadOnly%2A?displayProperty=nameWithType property to true.

  [!code-csharpSystem.Windows.Forms.DataGridViewMisc#064] [!code-vbSystem.Windows.Forms.DataGridViewMisc#064]

Compiling the Code

This example requires:

• A xref:System.Windows.Forms.DataGridView control named dataGridView1 with a column named CompanyName.

• References to the xref:System?displayProperty=nameWithType and xref:System.Windows.Forms?displayProperty=nameWithType assemblies.

See also

• xref:System.Windows.Forms.DataGridView
• xref:System.Windows.Forms.DataGridView.Columns%2A?displayProperty=nameWithType
• xref:System.Windows.Forms.DataGridViewColumn.ReadOnly%2A?displayProperty=nameWithType
• Basic Column, Row, and Cell Features in the Windows Forms DataGridView Control
• How to: Prevent Row Addition and Deletion in the Windows Forms DataGridView Control