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: Table Header Rows after a Manual Page Break.

Table Header Rows after a Manual Page Break

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated May 29, 2021)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


Ed had his table set up the way he wanted, with a couple of rows repeated at the top of each page. He ran into a problem, however, when he inserted a manual page break in the middle of the table. When he did, the formerly repeating rows no longer repeated at the top of the table.

The reason for this is rather simple—when you insert a page break into a table you are, in reality, splitting the table into two separate tables. The rows that were repeating are no longer in the new table, but in the original table.

To get around this problem, don't insert a manual page break in the table to force a row to a new page. Instead, use this formatting approach:

  1. Put the insertion point at the beginning of the row that you want on the new page.
  2. Choose Paragraph from the Format menu. Word displays the Paragraph dialog box.
  3. Make sure the Line and Page Breaks tab is displayed. (See Figure 1.)
  4. Figure 1. The Line and Page Breaks tab of the Paragraph dialog box.

  5. Select the Page Break Before check box.
  6. Click on OK.

Now the row will always start at the beginning of a new page, your table is not "broken" into two parts, and your desired rows will still repeat at the top of each page.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (3504) 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: Table Header Rows after a Manual Page Break.

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

ExcelTips: The Macros (Table of Contents)

Macros provide a way for you to extend the capabilities of Excel. The key to macros is understanding how VBA works. Here ...

Discover More

Always Open at 100% Zoom

Tired of shared workbooks opening at some strange zoom factor that makes viewing your data difficult? Here's how to make ...

Discover More

Determining if a Document is Corrupt

Think you might have a corrupt document? There is no easy way to tell if this is the case, but there are some things you ...

Discover More

Comprehensive VBA Guide Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is the language used for writing macros in all Office programs. This complete guide shows both professionals and novices how to master VBA in order to customize the entire Office suite for their needs. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2010 today!

More WordTips (menu)

Transposing Table Contents

When you transpose information, it is essentially "rotated" in a direction. If you transpose the information in a table, ...

Discover More

Jumping to the Ends of Table Columns

Need a quick shortcut to jump to the top or bottom of a table column? Here are the two shortcuts you are searching for.

Discover More

Formatting an ASCII Table with Spaces

When you get a text file from a program other than Word, tabular information may be formatted with nothing but spaces in ...

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 six more than 3?

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.