Word insert headers and footers

Is this article up to date?

When we insert a header or a footer on any page in a Word document, it automatically appears on all the pages. But sometimes, we need to insert headers and footers to some specific pages except the entire Word document. This tutorial will show you how to insert Headers and Footers on specific pages in Microsoft Word.

How do you put a Header on only certain pages in Word?

To insert a Header on only a certain page, say page 7 in Word, first, you have to insert a Next Page Section Break to the end of its previous page, page 6, and its next page, page 8. After that, insert your Header on the targeted page (page 7) and deselect the Link to Previous option. Now, delete the Header from the previous page (page 6) and the next page (page 8). This will put the Header on only the specific page. We have explained the entire process in detail in this article.

The steps to insert Headers and Footers to some specific pages in Microsoft Word are listed below:

1. Launch Microsoft Word.
2. Enable the Formatting Marks.
3. Go to the page on which you want to insert Header or Footer.
4. Insert a Section Break at the end of the page just before the targeted page.
5. Insert Header and Footer on the targeted page.
6. Unlink Header and Footer on the targeted page from the previous pages.
7. Delete Header and Footer from the page just before the targeted page.
8. Insert a Section Break at the end of the targeted page.
9. Select Header and Footer on the page next to the targeted page and unlink them from the previous pages.
10. Delete Header and Footer from the page next to the targeted page.

Let’s see all these steps in detail.

1] Launch Microsoft Word.

2] Select the Home tab and click on the Show/Hide Formatting Marks button to enable formatting marks (as shown in the above screenshot). The formatting marks will show you all the formatting that you do in your Word document. Hence, it will be helpful when you insert a Section Break.

3] Now, go to the page on which you want to insert Header and Footer, and add a Section Break to its previous page. Let’s say, if you want to insert the Header on page 5 in your document, you have to add Section Break on page number 4.

4] To add a Section Break, click at the end of that page (according to our example, it is page 4), and go to “Layout > Breaks > Section Break.” Now, select Next Page.

5] Now, go to the page where you want to insert a Header or a Footer. In the example that we have taken here, it is page 5. To insert Header and Footer, double-click at the top and bottom of that page respectively. Alternatively, you can insert the Header and the Footer from the Insert menu. Simply, go to the Insert menu and then click on the Header or the Footer drop-down menu to select the format of Header and Footer you want to insert into your document.

6] Type your Header and Footer on the targeted page. After that, click on the Design tab and deselect the Link to Previous option. When you are done, click on the Close Header and Footer button.

Read: How to use Header, Footer, and Footnote in Google Docs.

7] After inserting the Header and Footer, you will see that the Header and the Footer have automatically been added to all the pages in the document. To remove the Header and the Footer from all the previous pages, simply select them on the previous page (the page just before the targeted page), and press Delete. This will delete the Header and the Footer from all the pages before the targeted page.

8] To remove Header and Footer from the pages after the targeted page, add Section Break at the end of the targeted page. Let’s understand it with the help of the example that we have taken here. Our targeted page is 5. Therefore, to remove Header and Footer from all the pages after page 5, we have to insert the Section Break at the end of page 5.

To do this, go to “Layout > Breaks > Section Break” and select Next Page. Now, select Header and Footer on the page next to the targeted page (in our case, it is page 6) and deselect the Link to Previous option in the Design menu. After that, delete Header and Footer from the page next to the targeted page (page 6).

Now, your Header and Footer have successfully been inserted into a specific page in a Microsoft Word document. Save your document.

By following the above process, you can also add different Headers and Footers to different pages in a Word document.

How do I start a Header and a Footer on page 3 in Word?

To insert a Header and a Footer on page 3 in Word, first, you have to unlink the Header and Footer on page 3 from the previous pages (page 1 and page 2). For this, click at the end of page 2, go to “Layout > Breaks > Section Break,” and select Next Page. This will insert a Section Break after page 2. Now, insert Header and Footer on page 3. After that, click on the Design tab and then deselect the Link to Previous option.

Go to page 2 and delete Header and Footer from there. This will remove Header and Footer from the first two pages in your Word document.

Hope this helps.

Read next: How to add Header and Footer in Excel spreadsheet.

/en/word2016/columns/content/

Introduction

The header is a section of the document that appears in the top margin, while the footer is a section of the document that appears in the bottom margin. Headers and footers generally contain additional information such as page numbers, dates, an author’s name, and footnotes, which can help keep longer documents organized and make them easier to read. Text entered in the header or footer will appear on each page of the document.

Optional: Download our practice document.

Watch the video below to learn more about headers and footers in Word.

To create a header or footer:

In our example, we want to display the author’s name at the top of each page, so we’ll place it in the header.

1. Double-click anywhere on the top or bottom margin of your document. In our example, we’ll double-click the top margin.

   

2. The header or footer will open, and a Design tab will appear on the right side of the Ribbon. The insertion point will appear in the header or footer.

   

3. Type the desired information into the header or footer. In our example, we’ll type the author’s name and the date.

   

4. When you’re finished, click Close Header and Footer. Alternatively, you can press the Esc key.

   
5. The header or footer text will appear.

   

To insert a preset header or footer:

Word has a variety of preset headers and footers you can use to enhance your document’s design and layout. In our example, we’ll add a preset header to our document.

1. Select the Insert tab, then click the Header or Footer command. In our example, we’ll click the Header command.

   

2. In the menu that appears, select the desired preset header or footer.

   

3. The header or footer will appear. Many preset headers and footers contain text placeholders called Content Control fields. These fields are good for adding information like the document title, author’s name, date, and page number.

   

4. To edit a Content Control field, click it and type the desired information.

   

5. When you’re finished, click Close Header and Footer. Alternatively, you can press the Esc key.

   

If you want to delete a Content Control field, right-click it and select Remove Content Control from the menu that appears.

Editing headers and footers

After you close the header or footer, it will still be visible, but it will be locked. Simply double-click a header or footer to unlock it, which will allow you to edit it.

Design tab options

When your document’s header and footer are unlocked, the Design tab will appear on the right side of the Ribbon, giving you various editing options:

• Hide the first-page header and footer: For some documents, you may not want the first page to show the header and footer, like if you have a cover page and want to start the page numbering on the second page. If you want to hide the first-page header and footer, check the box next to Different First Page.

  

• Remove the header or footer: If you want to remove all information contained in the header, click the Header command and select Remove Header from the menu that appears. Similarly, you can remove a footer using the Footer command.

  

• Page Number: You can automatically number each page with the Page Number command. Read our Page Numbers lesson to learn more.

  

• Additional options: With the commands available in the Insert group, you can add the date and time, document info, pictures, and more to your header or footer.

  

To insert the date or time into a header or footer:

Sometimes it’s helpful to include the date or time in the header or footer. For example, you may want your document to show the date when it was created.

On the other hand, you may want to show the date when it was printed, which you can do by setting it to update automatically. This is useful if you frequently update and print a document because you’ll always be able to tell which version is the most recent.

1. Double-click anywhere on the header or footer to unlock it. Place the insertion point where you want the date or time to appear. In our example, we’ll place the insertion point on the line below the author’s name.

   

2. The Design tab will appear. Click the Date & Time command.

   
3. The Date and Time dialog box will appear. Select the desired date or time format.
4. Check the box next to Update Automatically if you want the date to change every time you open the document. If you don’t want the date to change, leave this option unchecked.
5. Click OK.

   

6. The date will appear in the header.

   

Challenge!

1. Open our practice document. If you’ve already downloaded our practice document in order to follow along with the lesson, be sure to download a fresh copy by clicking the link in this step.
2. Open the header.
3. Choose Align Right on the Home tab and type your name.
4. Below your name, use the Date & Time command on the Design tab and insert the date. You can use whichever format you like.
5. In the footer section, insert the preset footer Grid. If your version of Word doesn’t have a Grid preset, you can choose any available preset.
6. Close the header and footer.
7. When you’re finished, your page should look something like this:

   

/en/word2016/page-numbers/content/