How to Add Header and Footer in Word (Step-by-Step Guide)

To add a header and footer in Word, open Insert → Header and Insert → Footer, choose a built-in style or blank area, enter your content, and close Header and Footer mode. Headers repeat at the top of each page; footers repeat at the bottom—ideal for titles, dates, logos, and page numbers.

Headers and Footers in Word: What They Do

A header is the area above the main body text, while a footer appears below it. Word keeps these areas separate from the document body, so the same content can repeat automatically across pages. Common uses include a report title, chapter name, author, company logo, file name, date, confidentiality label, and page number.

For a simple document, you can add a header and footer in a few clicks. Longer reports, theses, books, and proposals often need more control: no header on the cover page, mirrored content on odd and even pages, or different headers for different chapters. This guide covers the main workflow and explains when to use a focused tutorial for a more advanced task.

Key Takeaways

• Use Insert → Header or Insert → Footer to start with a built-in style or a blank area.
• Double-click the top or bottom margin to edit an existing header or footer quickly.
• Use Different First Page, Different Odd & Even Pages, or section breaks when content should not repeat everywhere.
• Page numbers and document properties are separate fields that can update automatically.

Need	Best Word setting	Typical use
Same content on every page	Standard header/footer	Letters, reports, handouts
No header on cover page	Different First Page	Assignments, proposals, books
Facing-page layout	Different Odd & Even Pages	Books and printed manuals
Different chapter titles	Section breaks + unlink	Theses and long reports

How to Add a Header and Footer in Word

How to add a header in Word

Use a built-in header when you want a ready-made layout, or choose a blank header when you want complete control over alignment and content.

Word dims the document body while the header is active. The content may also look lighter on screen after you close it, but it prints and exports normally. To change the font, size, alignment, or color, select the header text and use the Home tab just as you would for body text.

How to add a footer in Word

The footer process follows the same pattern. Choose Insert → Footer, select a style, and enter the content at the bottom of the page. Footers commonly contain page numbers, copyright lines, document versions, contact information, or confidentiality notices.

1. Select Insert → Footer.
2. Choose a built-in style or select a blank footer.
3. Type the footer text or insert a field such as a page number.
4. Use the alignment controls or tab stops to place content on the left, center, or right.
5. Select Close Header and Footer when finished.

How to edit an existing header or footer

Double-click near the top or bottom edge of any page. Word opens the Header & Footer tab and lets you edit text, fields, pictures, spacing, and page-specific settings. You can also select Insert → Header → Edit Header or Insert → Footer → Edit Footer.

What Can You Put in a Word Header or Footer?

Add page numbers to the header or footer

Open the header or footer, select Page Number, and choose a position and style. If the number must start at a different value or use Roman numerals, choose Format Page Numbers. A long document may also require section breaks before numbering can restart.

For page-number placement, starting numbers, and section-specific numbering, follow the dedicated guide to add page numbers to a Word document.

Insert a document title or document property

Typing the title manually is fine when it will not change. For a reusable template, insert the Title property as a field. Open the header or footer and choose Document Info, or use Quick Parts → Field and select Title. When the document property changes, the field can update without retyping the header.

Use the detailed walkthrough to insert the Title document property in Word. When the title belongs specifically at the bottom of the page, see how to add the document title to a Word footer.

Add a date, author, file name, or company information

Open the header or footer and use Document Info or Quick Parts → Field to insert Author, FileName, Date, or another property. Choose an automatically updating date only when the document should always show the current date. For contracts and records, a fixed date is usually safer because it does not change each time the file opens.

Add a logo or image to a Word header

1. Open a blank or existing header.
2. Select Insert → Pictures and choose the logo file.
3. Resize it from a corner handle to preserve the aspect ratio.
4. Use picture wrapping and alignment carefully so the image does not cover body text.
5. Check the result in Print Preview or export a test PDF.

Keep logos small and use a high-resolution source. If the header becomes too tall, reduce the image size or adjust the Header from Top setting instead of shrinking the document margins.

Element	Manual or automatic?	Recommended location
Short document title	Either	Header
Page number	Automatic field	Header or footer
Author or company	Manual or property field	Header
Copyright or confidentiality	Manual	Footer
File name or revision date	Automatic field	Footer

How to Use Different Headers and Footers in Word

Use a different header or footer on the first page

1. Double-click the header or footer on the first page.
2. On the Header & Footer tab, select Different First Page.
3. Leave the first-page area blank to remove the header or enter unique cover-page content.
4. Move to page 2 and confirm the regular header or footer remains in place.

This setting applies to the first page of the current section, not only the first page of the entire document. That makes it useful for chapter title pages as well as the cover page.

Create different odd and even page headers

For books and double-sided documents, open the header or footer and select Different Odd & Even Pages. Enter the odd-page content, then move to an even page and add the mirrored version. A common book layout places the chapter title on one side and the book title on the other, with page numbers toward the outer page edges.

Create different headers for sections or chapters

A page break only moves content to the next page; it does not create independent header and footer settings. Use a section break whenever a new chapter or document part needs different repeating content.