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: Positioning Headers and Footers.

Positioning Headers and Footers

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated January 17, 2022)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003

Several WordTips cover how to insert headers or footers in your document. Besides controlling what appears in the header or footer, Word allows you to also control where the header or footer appears on each page of your document. To position the header or footer, follow these steps:

Position the insertion point in the section whose headers or footers you want to position.
Choose Page Setup from the File menu. You will see the Page Setup dialog box.
Make sure the Margins tab (Word 97 or Word 2000) or the Layout tab (Word 2002 or Word 2003) is selected. (See Figure 1.)

Figure 1. The Layout tab of the Page Setup dialog box.

In the Header box enter a measurement indicating how far from the top edge of the paper you want the bottom line of your header to be printed.
In the Footer box enter a measurement indicating how far from the bottom edge of the paper you want the top line of your footer to be printed.
Use the Apply To drop-down list to select the part of your document to which your adjustments should apply.
Click on OK.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (1203) 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: Positioning Headers and Footers.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. Learn more about Allen...

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