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: Editing Headers and Footers.

Editing Headers and Footers

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated February 8, 2025)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


You are probably already aware that you can create and/or edit headers and footers in Word by selecting the Header and Footer option from the View menu. Once you've created a header or footer, the easiest and quickest way to edit it is to switch to Print Layout view and double-click in the header or footer area. You can also double-click anywhere above or below the document area.

To return to document editing mode when you are done making changes to the header or footer, double-click anywhere in the normal document area, or click the Close button on the Header and Footer toolbar.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (1259) 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: Editing 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. ...

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