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:

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

  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. Use the Apply To drop-down list to select the part of your document to which your adjustments should apply.
  8. 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. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Using Different Shapes in WordArt

You can apply different shapes in WordArt to create different effects.

Discover More

Making Common Information Accessible

Got a bunch of info that is common to a lot of your documents? Here's a way to get that information standardized among ...

Discover More

Putting Character Codes to Work

If you know the character codes for some characters of interest, you can use those codes to do lots of tasks. This tip ...

Discover More

Create Custom Apps with VBA! Discover how to extend the capabilities of Office 365 applications with VBA programming. Written in clear terms and understandable language, the book includes systematic tutorials and contains both intermediate and advanced content for experienced VB developers. Designed to be comprehensive, the book addresses not just one Office application, but the entire Office suite. Check out Mastering VBA for Microsoft Office 365 today!

More WordTips (menu)

Quickly Formatting Footers in Documents with Many Sections

Need to adjust all the footers or headers in a document that uses lots of them? It's easy to do if you understand how the ...

Discover More

Protecting Headers and Footers

If you don't want the information in a header of footer to be changed by users of your document, there are a couple of ...

Discover More

Deleting a Header or Footer

When working with existing documents, you may need to delete a header or footer previously created. Here's how you can do ...

Discover More
Subscribe

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.

What is two minus 0?

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.

Videos
Subscribe

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

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.