How to Add and Change Headers/Footers in Excel Sheet

Headers and footers in Excel are great for adding basic information to your worksheets such as page numbers, dates, or workbook names 😀

Adding headers or footers helps you add data without needing to change the data or format of your worksheet. This also makes your workbook look more professional when printed.

Unfortunately, header and footer tools in Excel are underused since it is a mystery for some Excel users 🔍

Let’s uncover that mystery and learn how you can insert headers and footers in Excel! Microsoft Excel offers you built-in headers and footers ready for use. Plus, you can even customize your own.

It’s easy. Let’s go!

Learn better by doing 👍 Make sure to download this free practice workbook we’ve prepared for you to work on.

A header is a text or image found on the top of each page of a document. Typically, a header is an area where you can insert document information like page numbers, document names, dates, and many more.

Inserting a header in Excel is simple. Open your practice workbook to insert one 😊

  1. Go to the Insert Tab.
how to make a header in Excel
  1. Click the Text Group.
  2. Select the Header & Footer button.
click header and footer

Once you click the Header and Footer button, the workbook view changes to the “Page Layout” view.

By default, the cursor is on the center section of the header box. But you can choose to write the header on either the left or right section boxes too.

header box

Let’s try to type “Spreadsheeto.com” in the center section of the header like this.

add header

Wasn’t that very easy? 😀

Add headers using preset headers

There are preset headers you can use in Excel. These preset headers are the most common elements you can insert in a header like Page Number, File Path or Name and so much more.

To do that, click “Header” on the left side of the Header & Footer Tab.

preset header or built in header

The preset header and footer tools already format text. You can choose which format you want the header text to look like.

Alternatively, you can choose preset elements for a header in the Header & Footer Elements group. You can see elements such as:

  • Page number
  • Number of pages
  • Current date
  • Current time
  • File path
  • File name
  • Sheet name
  • Picture
insert number insert date insert file path insert picture

Let’s try to insert a header element into our current worksheet. For example, let’s insert “File Name” as our header 👇

  1. Click the center section of the header.
  2. Click File Name in the Header and Footer Elements.
insert file name

When you click the File Name button, this will appear:

&[File]

  1. Click anywhere in your worksheet.

This is now the result. You added the document or file name as your header 👍

built in header

Using a preset or built-in header makes adding headers very easy! You didn’t have to manually type the file name into the section box.

Adding headers not only helps you elevate your content but also helps you save time from making templates as they will appear on every page of your document 😀

Pro Tip!

A well-thought header can get your audience engaged from the get-go. Engaging your reader is a priority if you want to be heard. And one of the effective ways to hook them is to have a great header in your reports and/or articles.

A footer is just like a header but placed on the bottom of every document page. Footers are great for adding your contact information, links to CTAs or articles, page numbers, and more.

Just like adding headers, adding footers in Excel is easy too.

Insert a footer just like how you insert a header 👇

  1. Click Insert Tab in the Excel Ribbon.
  2. Click Text group.
  3. Select the Header & Footer.
headers and footers
  1. Click the “Go to Footer” icon on the Navigation group in the Ribbon.
custom footer

When you click the “Go to Footer” icon, you will be directed to the footer part of the page.

custom footer text box

Just like the header, the cursor is on the center section of the footer by default. If you would like to insert a footer on the left or right section, just click on them.

In these section boxes, you can type the footer information or use a preset footer in Excel 😊

Add footers using preset footers

The elements or presets used in headers can also be used in footers.

If you want the page number or the file name to be at the bottom of the page, insert it as footer information.

You can find them in the Header & Footer Elements group of the Header & Footer Tab.

custom footer using presets

Or go click the footer button to see footer presets.

format footer text

You can choose to format text using preset footers in Excel.

Say, let’s add the Page Number in the footer.

  1. Click the center section of the footer.
  2. Click Page Number in the Header & Footer Elements.
custom header and footer

When you click the Page Number button, this will appear:

&[Page]

  1. Click anywhere in your worksheet.

This is now the result. A page number is inserted as a footer in Excel 😀

page number inserted as custom header or footer

Now, you don’t have to count and manually type the page number in your worksheet. Microsoft Excel does that for you using these header and footer tools.

Remember, adding headers and footers is not limited to just page numbers or file names. You can insert a date or time. You can insert a sheet or file path. You can also insert a picture 😉

But what if you changed your mind? How can you remove headers and footers in Excel? 🤔

Well, lucky for you that’s what you are going to learn next!

Kasper Langmann, Microsoft Office Specialist

How to remove headers and footers in Excel

Removing the headers or footers you’ve inserted is easy as well. You can remove headers and footers individually, or remove them at once.

Let’s delete the headers and footers we’ve inserted in our practice workbook all at once.

  1. Click the Page Layout Tab.
  2. In the Page Setup group, click the Page Setup dialog box launcher. It’s that little arrow.
delete headers page setup dialog box launcher

When you click the page setup dialog box launcher, a page setup dialog box will pop up showing you a full set of page formatting options.

  1. Click the Header/Footer Tab in the Page Setup dialog box.
custom header and footer in the page setup dialog box
  1. Click the drop-down arrow and select “none” for the header.
  2. Do the same with the footer.
  3. Click OK.
custom header and footer in the page setup dialog box

By doing this, you removed all the headers and footers at once.

You can also remove headers and footers this way. But you have to remove the header and footer individually.

  1. Click on the Header section box.
  2. In the Header and Footer Tab, click Header.
  3. Click None.
remove header

The same way goes for footers. All you have to do is click on the footer text box, then click the Footer button in the Header and Footer Tab. Finally, click None to remove the footer.

remove header and footer

It’s simple and easy, right?

Headers and footers are a staple function if you’re working on a multiple-paged article, newsletter, or worksheet 😊

That’s it – Now what?

Great job! You can now elevate your content by making it more organized and professional using Excel header and footer tools 🥳

You can, of course, create your own headers and footers or you can make Excel work for you by using built-in headers and footers. With only a few clicks, Excel built-in tools can help you save time and work.

Speaking of Excel’s built-in tools, you should get to learn Excel’s most powerful built-in tool: FUNCTIONS. Microsoft Excel provides you with a lot of built-in functions you can use to organize and calculate data in your spreadsheet 🚀

Learn the most essential functions that you (and everybody) actually need in daily work and life. Sign up for my free email course and learn about the IF, the SUMIF, and the VLOOKUP functions. You’ll also learn how to effectively clean your data in this email course 📧

Don’t miss out. It’s easy and free!

Other resources

You can also use your header or footer to insert a watermark in your worksheet. Interested? Read more about what a watermark is, why is it important, and how to insert one here.

If you’re struggling to print your worksheets properly, then this article is for you! Learn how to print your Excel worksheets like a PRO here.

I hope this blog post was helpful 🤗

Frequently asked questions

A header is placed at the top of a page, while a footer is placed at the bottom, or foot, of a page. You can find the header and footer tools in Excel when you click the Insert Tab, and then click the Header & Footer button in the Text group.

Headers and footers are text placed on top and bottom of the page respectively. These are areas typically used to insert additional information about the document like page numbers, dates, file names, and more.

If you want to make a header only on the first page, click the header area on the first page. Go to the Header & Footer Tab that appears. In the Options group, check the Different First Page option box.