This tutorial shows how to insert headers and footers in Microsoft Word.
[Typewriter sounds]
Hello, my name is Erin.
I’m a technical writer and editor who shares step-by-step software tutorials and writing tips for the real world
on this channel and on my blog at erinwrightwriting.com.
Today’s tutorial shows how to insert headers and footers in Microsoft Word.
We’ll also look at how to edit existing headers and footers
and how to delete headers and footers.
If you want to insert page numbers in headers or footers, please watch my other tutorial
“How to Add Page Numbers in Microsoft Word,” which is linked in the description box below.
I’ll be using Word for Microsoft 365.
These steps will also work in Word 2019, Word 2016, Word 2013, and Word 2010.
However, your interface may look slightly different in those earlier versions of the software.
Please note that Word provides many ways to work with headers and footers.
Therefore, this tutorial is limited to the steps I believe will be the most useful for the majority of people.
To begin, select the Insert tab in the ribbon.
Then, select the Header or Footer button in the Header & Footer group.
From there, you can select a built-in style from the drop-down menu.
After you select a style, Word will automatically switch from the Insert tab to the Header & Footer tab.
This tab only appears when you’re working with headers or footers.
Next, select the placeholder text and type your header or footer information.
To create a different header or footer on the first page,
select Different First Page in the Options group.
Type the information into the First Page Header or Footer space.
You can also select the Header or Footer button to select a built-in style just for the first page.
You may notice that these buttons are in a different location in the Header & Footer tab than in the Insert tab.
Leave the space blank if you don’t want a header or footer on the first page.
To create different headers or footers on odd and even pages, select Different Odd & Even Pages.
Type the information into the odd or even space.
Once again, you can also select the Header or Footer buttons to choose a different built-in style.
You can select the Next and Previous buttons in the Navigation group
to toggle between odd and even pages in order to work in the different header and footer spaces.
You can further customize your document by entering new numbers
into the Header from Top and Footer from Bottom text boxes in the Position group.
These text boxes change the amount of space above the header or below the footer.
Before we move on, please note that tabs placed on the ruler while working on headers or footers
will only affect the headers or footers.
Those tabs won’t appear on the ruler for the body content after you close the Header & Footer tab,
which you can do by selecting the Close Header & Footer button.
To edit existing headers or footers, double-click one of them to open the Header & Footer tab.
Alternatively, you can right-click one of them and select the Edit Header or Edit Footer button that will appear.
Your cursor will automatically move into the header or footer space where you can make adjustments, as necessary.
To delete a header or footer, double-click the one you want to delete.
Alternatively, you can right-click it and select the Edit Header or Edit Footer button.
Then, select the Header or Footer button in the Header & Footer tab.
Finally, select Remove Header or Remove Footer from the drop-down menu.
It’s important to mention that this will only delete the type of header or footer that you selected.
For example, if your document has different headers on odd and even pages and you selected a header on an odd page,
only the odd page headers will be deleted.
However, if your document has the same header on every page, all the headers will be removed.
As always, remember to save your file to save your changes.
I have created many other videos about Microsoft Word, including “How to Insert Endnotes and Footnotes in Microsoft Word,”
and “How to Create, Change, and Delete Tabs in Microsoft Word.”
Please see the complete list in the playlist titled “How to Use Microsoft Word,” which is linked in the description box below.
The companion blog post for this video showing all the steps we just performed
appears on erinwrightwriting.com, which is also linked below.
Feel free to leave me a comment if there’s a specific topic related to Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat
that you would like me to talk about in the future.
And please subscribe to my channel so you don’t miss future tutorials.
And give this video a thumbs-up if you found it helpful.
Thank you so much for watching!
[Typewriter sounds]