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You can create headers and footers in your Word document so that information such as the author's name, document title, or page numbers will appear in the top and/or bottom margin of your document. You can create a header and footer that appears the same on every page, or you can customize the pages with different headers and footers.
The Header and Footer toolbar contains buttons for functions that you will use frequently when working with headers and footers in your document. The buttons are described here.
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| Button | Function |
|---|---|
| Inserts AutoText, a time-saving entry composed of an abbreviation and an associated phrase. For more information, refer to Working with AutoText | |
| Inserts the page number, inserts the number of pages, and formats page numbers | |
| Inserts the date and time | |
| Displays the Page Setup dialog box and shows or hides document text | |
| Makes the header or footer the same as the previous section | |
| Switches between header and footer, shows previous header or footer, and shows next header or footer NOTE: The previous and next options are relevant when your document is divided into sections. |
|
| Closes Header and Footer view |
If you want the same header and footer to appear on every page, create a universal header and footer. By using the buttons located on the Header and Footer toolbar, you can insert the page number, date, or time into the header and/or footer.
NOTE: To insert commonly used fields into the header or footer, refer to Inserting AutoText into Headers and Footers.
Place the insertion point anywhere within the document
From the View menu, select Header and Footer
The Header and Footer toolbar appears.
In the Header, type and format the desired information
Click SWITCH BETWEEN HEADER AND FOOTER![]()
In the Footer, type and format the desired information
To close the Header and Footer toolbar and return to your document, click CLOSE
You can create a first page header and footer containing different information than the header and footer in the rest of the document.
Place the insertion point on the first page of the document
From the View menu, select Header and Footer
The Header and Footer toolbar appears.
Click PAGE SETUP![]()
The Page Setup dialog box appears.
Select the Layout tab
Under Headers and footers, select Different first page
Click OK
In the First Page Header, type and format the desired information
Click SWITCH BETWEEN HEADER AND FOOTER![]()
In the First Page Footer, type and format the desired information
To create the header and footer for the rest of the document, click SHOW NEXT![]()
In the Header, type and format the desired information
Click SWITCH BETWEEN HEADER AND FOOTER![]()
In the Footer, type and format the desired information
To close the Header and Footer toolbar and return to your document, click CLOSE
If you need to align information differently or include different information on the odd and even page headers and footers, you can create odd and even page headers and footers. You can also create a different first page as well as odd/even page headers and footers within the same document.
Place the insertion point on the first page of the document
From the View menu, select Header and Footer
The Header and Footer toolbar appears.
Click PAGE SETUP![]()
The Page Setup dialog box appears.
Select the Layout tab
Under Headers and footers, select Different odd and even
Click OK
In the Odd Page Header, type and format the desired information
Click SWITCH BETWEEN HEADER AND FOOTER![]()
In the Odd Page Footer, type and format the desired information
Click SHOW NEXT![]()
In the Even Page Header, type and format the desired information
Click SWITCH BETWEEN HEADER AND FOOTER![]()
In the Even Page Footer, type and format the desired information
To close the Header and Footer toolbar and return to your document, click CLOSE
With the Insert AutoText command in Word, you can quickly and easily add elements such as the filename, the author's name, and the save date to headers and footers without having to go through numerous menu options.
From the View menu, select Header and Footer
The Header and Footer toolbar appears.
Place the insertion point in the header or footer area where you want to insert AutoText
On the Header and Footer toolbar, click INSERT AUTOTEXT » select the desired AutoText option
To close the Header and Footer toolbar and return to your document, click CLOSE