WD: How to Create Different First Page Headers and Footers

This article describes how to create different headers and footers for the first page of a document or section of a document.

Headers and footers are section level formatting. This simply means that the headers and footers can be different in each section of a document. So, one way to change the headers and footers in part of a document is to insert a section break, creating a new section with its own headers and footers.

However, you may frequently want a different header and footer for just the first page of a document or section. So, Microsoft Word provides a special first page header and footer. This reduces the number of sections needed in a document.

Creating a First Page Header or Footer

To create a different header or footer for the first page of a document or section, follow these steps:

1. Position the insertion point (the flashing cursor that indicates where text will appear when you type) on the first page of the document or section and then click Header And Footer on the View menu.
2. On the Header And Footer toolbar, click the Document Layout button.
3. Click the Layout tab.
4. Under Headers And Footers, click to select the Different First Page check box. If there is more than one section in the document, ensure that Apply To is set to Whole Document, This Point Forward, or This Section, as appropriate, and then click OK.
5. If necessary, click the Show Next or Show Previous buttons to move to the First Page Header or First Page Footer for the document or section. The words "First Page Header" or "First Page Footer" will appear in the upper left of the dashed Header or Footer box.
   
   NOTE: The Show Next, Show Previous, and "Switch Between Header and Footer" buttons on the Header And Footer toolbar allow you to view all the headers and footers in the document without having to close the header and footer box to move around in the document. If there is more than one section in the document, the section number will appear on the dashed line after the word "Header."
   
   Example: First Page Header - Section 2
   
   The first page header applies only to the first page of that section or document. The header applies to all the remaining pages in the section or document. If there is no first page header, then header applies to the entire section or document. (Odd and even headers and footers are discussed later in this article.)
6. Create the header or footer you want to appear on the first page by typing in the First Header or First Footer area. If you do not want a header or footer to appear on the first page, leave the header or footer area blank.
   
   TIP: You can type several carriage returns to create a large blank header on the first page, to leave room for a preprinted letter head.
7. Click the Show Next and "Switch Between Header and Footer" buttons to move to the (non-first page) header or footer in the document or section. The words "Header" or "Footer" will appear in the upper left of the dashed Header or Footer box.
8. Create the header or footer that you want to appear in the rest of the document or section. If you do not want a header or footer to appear in the rest of the document or section, leave the header or footer area blank.
9. To return to the document, click the Close button on the Header And Footer toolbar.

Creating a New Section in a Document

To create a new section in a document, follow these steps:

1. Position the insertion point in the document where the new section should start.
2. On the Insert menu, click Break.
3. Under Section Breaks, click Next Page.
   
   TIP: When creating section breaks in order to change the headers and footers, use a section break that also creates a new page, such as Next Page, Even Page, or Odd Page.
4. Click OK.

Creating a New Section in a Word 2001 Document

To create a new section in a Word 2001 document, follow these steps:

1. Position the insertion point in the document where the new section should start.
2. On the Insert menu, point to Break, and then click Section Break (Next Page).
   
   TIP: When creating section breaks in order to change the headers and footers, use a section break that also creates a new page, such as Next Page, Even Page, or Odd Page.
3. Click OK.

For more information about about headers and footers, click the Office Assistant, type Word, click Search, and then click headers and footers to view the topic.

NOTE: If the Assistant is hidden, click the Office Assistant button on the standard toolbar. If Microsoft Help is not installed on your computer, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
For more information about about section breaks, click the Office Assistant, type Word, click Search, and then click section breaks to view the topic.

NOTE: If the Assistant is hidden, click the Office Assistant button on the standard toolbar. If Microsoft Help is not installed on your computer, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
For additional information about headers and footers in other versions of Word, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: