Word - Headers and Footers

Background Information

Headers and footers are areas in the top and bottom margins of a page. They provide quick information about a document in a predictable format and help separate different parts of a document. With headers and footers, you can also:

  • Have a different header and footer on the first page of a document.
  • Have different headers and footers on odd and even pages.

Use section breaks to create distinct document sections with different headers and footers.

Inserting Headers or Footers

  1. From the Insert tab, select Header or Footer.
  2. Choose the desired style from the available list or select Edit Header/Footer to create a custom Header or Footer.
  3. In the Header/Footer area, type any relevant (e.g., Title of document, Department name, etc.)
  4. To add a Page Number or Date & Time, click the appropriate button from the Design tab and choose the desired option.
  5. If you start by adding a Header, you can then switch to the document Footer by pressing the Go to Footer button.
  6. After adding all the desired information, click Close Header and Footer to return to editing the main document.

Modifying Headers or Footers

  1. Double-click within the Header or Footer. This will allow you to make edits and will open the Design tab contained with Header & Footer Tools.
  2. Make desired changes to the Header or Footer.
  3. When completed, click Close Header and Footer from the Design tab.

Adding a First Page and Odd/Even Headers

When you are creating documents that include title pages or table of contents, it may be desirable to include different headers and footers throughout the document.  In order to specify multiple Headers/Footers in your document:

  1. Insert a Header/Footer, or double-click inside an existing Header/ Footer.
  2. Select the Design tab contained with Header & Footer Tools.
  3. Click one or both of the desired options:
    • Different First Page – Will create a Header/Footer that only appears on the first page of your document.
    • Different Odd & Even Pages – Will allow you to create a different Header/Footer for odd and even pages in your document.
  4. Type information into the Header/Footer as desired.

Using Section Breaks

If multiple headers and footers are required in a document, section breaks can be added to divide the document into sections.  Each section can have its own header and footer which may unique, or linked to the previous section:

  1. Place your cursor in the document where you wish to create a new section.
  2. From the Page Layout tab, select Breaks.
  3. Choose one of the four Section Break options:
    • Next Page
    • Continuous
    • Even Page
    • Odd Page
  4. Starting from the first section add the desired Header and Footer.
  5. From the Design tab, click Next Section.
  6. Uncheck Link to Previous if appropriate.
  7. Add the Header and Footer for the next section.

Linked Header/Footer

If the Header for a section is linked to the previous section, it will be identical to the previous section’s header.

Unlinked Header/Footer

If the Header is not linked to the previous header, it can be made different than the previous header.

 

To review images or save/download/print a copy of this Job Aide, please select the pdf attachment.

 

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