How to Add a Header on Specific Pages in Word

How to Add Header and Footer on Specific Pages in Microsoft Word

In Microsoft Word, when you insert a header or footer, it usually appears on all pages of the document. However, there are times when you may want to apply headers and footers only to specific pages. For example:

• You don’t want a header or footer on the cover page.
• You want a different header or footer on some middle pages.
• You want no header or footer on certain pages at all.

Let’s understand this step-by-step using a practical example.

Practical Example:

To add Header and Footer on specific pages, we will use the following example.

Page 1 (Cover Page):

Title: Environmental Awareness: A Project Report

Pages 2–4 (Main Content Section):

Header Title: Project on Environment

Pages 5–6 (Conclusion Section):

Header Title: Conclusion

Now, we’ll apply the above layout in Microsoft Word using two important features:

1. Section Breaks and Link to Previous.

2. Using Section Breaks and "Link to Previous" Option

Where to Use Section Breaks:

• Since we don’t want a header or footer on the cover page (Page 1), we’ll insert a Next Page section break at the end of Page 1.
• Pages 2 to 4 will share the same header or footer, so we’ll insert another Next Page section break at the end of Page 4.
• Pages 5 and 6 will have a different header or footer, so we’ll insert another Next Page section break at the end of Page 6.

While editing the header or footer in each section, we will turn off “Link to Previous” so that the new section isn’t connected to the previous one.

Where to Use "Link to Previous":

• To separate the cover page from the rest, go to Page 2, and turn off "Link to Previous".
• To separate Pages 2–4 from Pages 5–6, go to Page 5 and turn off "Link to Previous".
• To separate Pages 5–6 from the following pages, go to Page 7 and turn off "Link to Previous".

Step-by-Step Practical Guide

Step 1: No Header or Footer on the Cover Page

We don’t want a header or footer on Page 1 (Cover Page). To do this:

1. Open your Word document.

2. Place your cursor at the end of Page 1. Go to the Layout tab → Click Breaks → Select Next Page under Section Breaks.

2. Now, double-click the header or footer on Page 2. Go to the Design tab, and in the Navigation group, click Link to Previous to turn it OFF.

This separates Page 1 from the rest of the document.

Step 2: Add Same Header for Pages 2–4 (Project on Environment)

1. Click at the end of Page 4. Go to Layout → Breaks → Next Page (This creates a new section starting from Page 5).

2. Double-click the header on Page5. Then go to Design tab → Navigation group → Turn OFF "Link to Previous".

3. Now go back to Page 2’s header and type: Project on Environment.

This header will automatically appear on Pages 3 and 4 as well.

Step 3: Add New Header for Pages 5–6 (Conclusion)

1. Click at the end of Page 6. Go to Layout → Breaks → Next Page (Page 7 begins a new section)

3.Double-click the header on Page 7 and turn off Link to Previous from the Design tab.

 

4. Now go to Page 5’s header and type: Conclusion.This header will appear on Pages 5 and 6.

Learn how to insert page numbers in Word without numbering the cover page in a few simple steps.

Final Output Overview

• Cover Page (Page 1): No header or footer
• Pages 2, 3, 4: Header – Project on Environment
• Pages 5, 6: Header – Conclusion

This method gives you full control over how headers and footers appear across different sections of your Word document.