Headers, footers and page numbers (Chapter 7)

Chapter 7 of 12 · about 12 minutes

Headers, footers and page numbers

Put the same words and a page number at the top and bottom of every page. Then get back to your main text. Page numbers sit in the footer, so they appear on every page.

In this chapter

  • Add a header and type in it
  • Add a footer and type in it
  • Number your pages
  • Leave the first page without a header or footer
  • Close the header and footer and go back to your text

Before you start: Open wme-guide-chapter-07-start.docx. It has two pages. The steps in this chapter use it.

Using your own document? The steps use the practice newsletter, but they work the same on any document. Wherever a step names part of the newsletter, such as the title or the date, use the matching text in your own document.

Add a header

A header is the strip at the top of every page. Anything you type there appears on each page, so you only type it once.

  1. Click the Insert tab.
  2. In the Header & Footer group, click Header.
    How to add headers and footers in Word: The Header button in the Header and Footer group on the Insert tab is marked 2, and the Blank design at the top of the Header list is marked 3.
    On the Insert tab, click Header (2), then choose Blank (3).
    A list of header designs opens.
  3. Click Blank, the first design in the list.The header area opens at the top of the page. It shows [Type here], and your main text turns pale grey.
    Example of an open header in Microsoft Word: The header area at the top of the page shows the words Type here in square brackets, a dashed line labelled Header sits below it, and the newsletter text underneath is pale grey.
    You should see: The header is open, and your main text is pale grey.
  4. Type Riverside Community News, October 2026.Your words replace [Type here].

While the header is open, a new tab called Header & Footer appears on the ribbon. It holds all the tools for this chapter.

A footer is the strip at the bottom of every page. It is a good place for who made the document and the page number.

  1. Click the Insert tab.
  2. In the Header & Footer group, click Footer.
    Adding a footer in Microsoft Word: The Footer button in the Header and Footer group on the Insert tab is marked 2, and the Blank design at the top of the Footer list is marked 3.
    On the Insert tab, click Footer (2), then choose Blank (3).
    A list of footer designs opens.
  3. Click Blank.The footer area opens at the bottom of the page and shows [Type here].
  4. Type Made by Riverside volunteers. Page and then press the Spacebar once.Your words appear in the footer, ready for a page number.

Already in the header? On the Header & Footer tab, in the Navigation group, click Go to Footer to jump straight down.

Add page numbers

Page numbers help readers keep the pages in order. Word counts the pages for you, so the numbers stay right when you add or remove pages.

  1. Click at the end of your footer text, after Page and the space.The cursor flashes at the end of the footer.
  2. On the Header & Footer tab, in the Header & Footer group, click Page Number.A menu opens.
  1. Point to Current Position.
    Inserting a page number in Microsoft Word: The Page Number button on the Header and Footer tab is marked 2, Current Position in its menu is marked 3, and the Plain Number design is marked 4.
    Click Page Number (2), point to Current Position (3), then click Plain Number (4).
    A list of number designs opens beside the menu.
  2. Click Plain Number, the first design.The number 1 appears after your words. Page 2 shows 2.
    Example of a footer with a page number in Microsoft Word: The footer at the bottom of page 1 reads Made by Riverside volunteers. Page 1.
    You should see: The footer now ends with the page number.

Want only a number in the middle of the bottom of each page? Click Insert > Page Number > Bottom of Page, then click Plain Number 2. This replaces anything already typed in the footer.

Leave the first page out

A front page often looks better without a header or footer. The newsletter already has its big title on page 1, so the header is only needed from page 2.

  1. Click in the header at the top of page 1. If the header is closed, double-click it instead.The cursor is in the page 1 header, and the Header & Footer tab shows on the ribbon.
  2. On the Header & Footer tab, in the Options group, tick Different First Page.
    The Options group on the Header and Footer tab in Microsoft Word, with the Different First Page box marked 2 and ticked.
    Tick Different First Page in the Options group (2).
    The header and footer on page 1 are now empty. Page 2 still shows them.
    Example of Different First Page in Microsoft Word: The footer at the bottom of page 1 is now empty, while the top of page 2 still shows the header Riverside Community News, October 2026.
    You should see: The bottom of page 1 is now empty. Page 2 keeps its header.
Watch it happen: Tick Different First Page and the first page gets its own header.

Page 2 still shows the number 2. Word keeps counting page 1, even though you can’t see its number.

While the header or footer is open, you can’t type in your main text. Close it to get back to your page.

  1. On the Header & Footer tab, in the Close group, click Close Header and Footer (the red X button).
    The Close group at the right-hand end of the Header and Footer tab in Microsoft Word, with the Close Header and Footer button marked 1.
    Click Close Header and Footer (1).
    Your main text turns dark again, and the header and footer turn pale grey.
    Example of a closed header in Microsoft Word: The top of page 2 shows the header Riverside Community News, October 2026 in pale grey, and the newsletter text below is dark.
    You should see: The header is closed, so it is pale grey and your text is dark.
Watch it happen: Click Close Header and Footer and you are back in your main text.

Two faster ways to close: Press Esc, or double-click anywhere in your main text. To change the header later, double-click it again.

Mac and Word for the web: On a Mac the steps are the same, and the tab is also called Header & Footer. In Word for the web, click Insert > Header & Footer. Word for the web can’t give the first page a different header and footer, so use the desktop app for Different First Page.

Video: add page numbers in Word

Page numbers: How to Add Page Numbers in Word video thumbnail1:31

See it done in Word: How to Add Page Numbers in Word.