Open the Insert menu and select Header

To add a header to a Google Docs document, click Insert in the top menu bar. A dropdown list will appear. Click Header from that list. Google Docs will when ready open a header space at the top of your first page, and your cursor will be positioned there ready for you to type.

The header area appears as a distinct box separated from your main document text. You can type anything you want in this space — your name, the document title, a date, page numbers, or any combination of these. Whatever you put in the header will repeat at the top of every page in your document.

Key Takeaways

  • Headers are added through the Insert menu and appear at the top of every page in your document automatically.
  • You can type text directly into the header, or use the Insert menu while in the header to add page numbers, dates, or other fields that update automatically.
  • Different sections of your document can have different headers if you use the "Different first page" or "Different odd and even pages" options.
  • Click outside the header box to return to editing your main document text.

Type text or add automatic fields to your header

Once the header box is open, you can type regular text directly into it. If you want to add something that changes automatically — like the current date, page numbers, or the document title — use the Insert menu again while your cursor is in the header. Click Insert, then choose Page number, Date, Time, or Document title depending on what you need.

Page numbers are the most common header addition. When you insert a page number, Google Docs automatically numbers each page, so page 1 shows "1", page 2 shows "2", and so on. The date field will show today's date, and if you choose to update it, it will change each time you open the document. The document title field pulls whatever name you gave the file.

Format your header text

The text in your header can be formatted the same way as text in your main document. Select the text you want to change, then use the toolbar buttons to make it bold, italic, or underlined. You can also change the font, font size, or text color using the same formatting tools.

You can center or right-align header text by clicking the alignment buttons in the toolbar, or by using the keyboard shortcuts Ctrl+E (center) or Ctrl+R (right-align). Left alignment is the default. Many people center their header text or right-align page numbers to make them stand out from the main document.

Exit the header and return to your document

When you are finished editing the header, click anywhere in the main body of your document below the header box. Your cursor will move out of the header area, and you can continue working on your document normally. The header remains in place at the top of every page, but you are no longer editing it.

If you need to edit the header again later, double-click in the header area at the top of any page, or go back to Insert > Header. Google Docs will open the header for editing again.

Use different headers for different sections

By default, every page in your document has the same header. If you want the first page to have a different header — or if you want odd-numbered pages to have a different header than even-numbered pages — Google Docs can do that. Click Insert > Header, then look for the options menu (three vertical dots) in the header area. Click it and select Different first page or Different odd and even pages.

When you choose "Different first page," the first page of your document will have its own header, separate from the rest. This is useful if your first page is a title page and you do not want a header there. When you choose "Different odd and even pages," you can set one header for pages 1, 3, 5, and another for pages 2, 4, 6. This is common in printed books and formal reports.

Remove a header from your document

To remove a header entirely, click Insert > Header again. Google Docs will toggle the header off, and it will disappear from all pages. Alternatively, you can double-click in the header area, select all the text in it (Ctrl+A), delete it, and then click in the main document. An empty header will remain but will not display anything on the page.

If you want to remove a header from only some pages — for example, to have no header on your title page but a header on all other pages — use the "Different first page" option described above, then leave the first page's header empty while adding content to the other pages' headers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I add a footer at the bottom of the page the same way?

Yes. Click Insert > Footer and follow the same steps. Footers work exactly like headers but appear at the bottom of every page. You can have both a header and a footer in the same document.

What if I want page numbers but no other header text?

Open the header, click Insert > Page number, and choose where you want the number to appear (top of page, bottom of page, or in the margin). You do not need to add any other text. The page number will display by itself.

Does the header show up when I print the document?

Yes. Headers print at the top of each page just as they appear on screen. If you do not want the header to print, you can remove it before printing, or check your printer settings to see if there is an option to exclude headers.

Can I make the header a different size than the main text?

Yes. Select the text in the header and use the font size dropdown in the toolbar to make it larger or smaller. You can also change the font itself or explore any other formatting you want.