How to Insert a Custom Header or Footer in Microsoft Word

292009 How to Insert a Custom Header or Footer in Microsoft Word

Adding custom headers and footers is an easy way to enhance your Word documents. They allow you to display useful information like page numbers, titles, author names, or your company logo on every page.

In this guide, you’ll learn how to:

  • Insert and edit headers and footers
  • Add custom text, images, page numbers and more
  • Use different headers and footers on specific pages
  • Remove headers and footers

Follow these simple steps to create professional headers and footers in Word.

Insert a Header or Footer

  1. Open your Word document and select the Insert tab.
  2. In the Header & Footer section, click Header or Footer.
  3. Choose one of Word’s built-in designs or select Edit Header or Edit Footer to create a custom one.

The header or footer area will now open for editing.

Insert Header and Footer

Add Custom Text

To add text like a title or author name:

  1. Click inside the header or footer area and type your text.
  2. Use the formatting tools on the Design tab to change the font, size or color.
  3. Click Close Header and Footer when finished.

You can also insert text boxes, tables, images and other objects.

Add Page Numbers

Adding page numbers is easy:

  1. Click inside the header or footer area.
  2. Go to the Design tab and click Page Number.
  3. Select a page number style and alignment.

This will insert page numbers that automatically update based on the number of pages.

Add Page Numbers

Insert Images

To add a logo or icon to the header or footer:

  1. Click Picture on the Insert tab while editing the header/footer.
  2. Select your image and adjust its size if needed.

Use Different Headers and Footers

Word allows you to have different headers and footers on specific pages:

  • First Page – Unique header/footer on the first page only
  • Even and Odd Pages – Different headers/footers on even and odd numbered pages

To enable this, go to Design > Different First Page or Different Odd & Even Pages.

Remove Headers and Footers

Don’t want them anymore? Simply go back to the Header & Footer section on the Insert tab and select Remove Header or Remove Footer.

This will delete the headers/footers from the entire document.

Tips for Great Headers and Footers

  • Keep text brief and avoid cluttering the header/footer
  • Use a smaller font (e.g. 9 pt) for better visibility
  • Align elements left, right or center for easy scanning
  • Add borders, lines or background colors for styling

Now you know how to create custom headers and footers in Word! Use them to display titles, branding, contact info or anything else you want readers to see on each page.