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...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Understanding Forms

If you have ever created several documents that contain the same basic information with only a few minor differences, ...

Discover More

Edits Cause Text to Switch to Odd Fonts

If you have problems with strange fonts showing up when you paste information into a document, it is helpful to ...

Discover More

Switching Windows in a Macro

When you have multiple workbooks open at the same time, Excel allows you to easily switch between those workbooks. How ...

Discover More

Create Custom Apps with VBA! Discover how to extend the capabilities of Office 2013 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Access) with VBA programming, using it for writing macros, automating Office applications, and creating custom applications. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2013 today!

More WordTips (menu)

Preventing the Left Margin of a Footer from Moving

When you print a document, does the position of the page footer seem to move left and right? This could have to do with ...

Discover More

Paragraph Numbers in Headers or Footers

If your documents routinely use numbered paragraphs, you may want to place the number of the page's first paragraph in ...

Discover More

Including Headers and Footers when Selecting All

If you are creating a macro that, in the course of processing your document, needs to update all the fields in the ...

Discover More

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

Notify me about new comments ONLY FOR THIS TIP

Notify me about new comments ANYWHERE ON THIS SITE

Hide my email address

What is nine minus 1?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)

This Site

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.