Remember: Header & Footer content looks pale when in Normal view.
Headers and footers allow you to dynamically and automatically add information such as page numbers to the pages in your documents. The same options apply to the header and footer — the only difference being whether the information appears at the top or the bottom of the page.
1. Sections
Your Word document is made up of one or more pages. The document can also have Sections in it. To add flexibility to your document, the Headers & Footer settings of the document can be different for each Section in the document.
Once you start breaking your document into Sections, you can then choose to Link to Previous or not. If, for example, you want an Addendum with different page numbering, your Addendum would be in a different Section and you would deactivate the Link to Previous option so that you could use different page numbering to the main document.
2. Different First Page
Your first page may well be your cover page and you do not want page numbering on your cover. Starting on your cover page, insert page numbers of your choice in the header or footer. With your cursor still in the footer of the first page, select the Different First Page option on the Header & Footer menu. The page numbering will disappear from the first page but remain on the following pages.
You can use this per Section.
3. Different Odd & Even Pages
Most books have headers & footers that alternate based on the page being an odd or an even page.
4. Spacing & Alignment
All spacing & alignment options are available in the Headers & Footer sections: line & paragraph spacing, left, center & right align and tabs.
Additionally, there are the Header from Top and Footer from Bottom settings.
5. Plain ol’ text
You may simply want to type some text to appear on each page. You may even want to format it — go ahead!
Irritatingly, when you insert one of the preformatted page numbers in your header/footer, an additional blank paragraph is inserted below it. Delete this paragraph.
6. Page numbering
Page numbering in a document is probably the most common use of headers & footers. I have dealt with it in depth in the post Page numbering in Word.
I have also posted about an advanced scenario for page numbering when using Mail Merge, Mail Merge and Page numbering.
7. Images
You may well want to insert an image, such as a company logo or a school badge, in your headers & footers. All the usual picture formatting options are available.
8. Chapter headings
A really professional touch as seen in most books is to add the chapter headings to a header or footer. In this example, I styled my headings using the style Heading 1:
- Select the Header & Footer ribbon
- Click on the Document Info button
- Select the Field… option
- Select StyleRef from the Field names list
- Select Heading 1 from the Style name: options
- Click the OK button
References:
- How to add chapter title to header or footer in Word document? (2019). Available at: https://www.extendoffice.com/documents/word/5449-word-add-chapter-title-to-header.html (Accessed: 5 July 2023).
- How to add the current heading text to the header or footer (2023). Available at: https://www.officetooltips.com/word_365/tips/how_to_add_the_current_heading_text_to_the_header_or_footer.html (Accessed: 5 July 2023).