Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here: Floating Footer.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated February 27, 2021)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
Julie asked if there was a way, in a two-column document, to make a special footer that "floats" five lines beneath the end of the right column on the last page of the document.
The short answer is no, there is not a way. Why? Because footers can only appear in the footer area of a document—which is, by definition, at the same place at the bottom of each page. The longer answer is that you probably don't want a footer, at least not what Word terms a footer.
The most likely solution is to utilize a text box. You can define one that is anchored to the final paragraph of your document. It will then float as the document grows or contracts. You can even instruct Word to position the text box so it appears five lines below the last paragraph of the document.
For help with creating text boxes and positioning them, refer to other issues of WordTips or to the online help system within Word itself.
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (1416) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Word (Word 2007 and later) here: Floating Footer.
The First and Last Word on Word! Bestselling For Dummies author Dan Gookin puts his usual fun and friendly candor back to work to show you how to navigate Word 2013. Spend more time working and less time trying to figure it all out! Check out Word 2013 For Dummies today!
If you are creating a macro that, in the course of processing your document, needs to update all the fields in the ...
Discover MoreWhen you need to make changes to the header or footer of a document, the Header and Footer toolbar is invaluable. What if ...
Discover MoreIt is often helpful to reference a specific heading in the header or footer of a page, and have that reference change on ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)
Got a version of Word that uses the menu interface (Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, or Word 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.
Visit the WordTips channel on YouTube
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here:
Comments