What headers and footers do in Excel

A header is text or information that appears at the top of every printed page of your spreadsheet. A footer is the same thing at the bottom. Headers and footers do not show on your screen when you are working — they only appear when you print the document or export it as a PDF. This means you can add your company name, the date the spreadsheet was created, page numbers, or confidentiality notices without cluttering the actual data.

Headers and footers are useful when you print a multi-page spreadsheet and need to identify which document each page belongs to, or when you want to add a date so readers know how current the information is. They are also the standard way to add page numbers across a long printout.

Key Takeaways

  • Headers and footers only appear when you print or export to PDF — they do not show while you work in the spreadsheet.
  • You access the header and footer settings through the Insert menu, then choose Header & Footer from the options.
  • Excel provides preset options like page numbers, date, time, and file name that update automatically each time you print.
  • You can add different headers or footers to the first page, or make left and right pages different, depending on your print layout.

Opening the header and footer dialog in Excel

Start by opening your spreadsheet in Excel. At the top of the screen, click the Insert menu. Look for the option labeled Header & Footer — it is usually near the bottom of the menu. Click it.

Excel will switch to a view called Page Break Preview, which shows you where the page breaks will be when you print. You will see three boxes at the top of the sheet: one on the left, one in the center, and one on the right. These are your header sections. Below the data, you will see three more boxes for the footer. Click inside any of these boxes to start typing.

Adding text directly to the header or footer

Click in the center header box if you want your text to appear in the middle of the top of the page. Type whatever you want — for example, "Confidential" or "Q4 Sales Report". The text will appear in that position on every printed page.

You can also click the left header box to add text that aligns to the left edge, or the right header box for text that aligns to the right. Many people put the document title on the left and the date on the right, so each page is fully identified. Do the same in the footer boxes at the bottom if you want information there instead of (or in addition to) the header.

When you are done typing, click anywhere outside the header boxes to return to your normal spreadsheet view. The header text will not be visible on screen, but it will print.

Using automatic fields like page numbers and dates

Instead of typing a date by hand every time you print, you can insert a field that updates automatically. Click in the header or footer box where you want the information. Then look at the ribbon above — you will see buttons labeled Page Number, Number of Pages, Current Date, Current Time, and File Name.

Click Page Number to insert a code that will print as "1" on the first page, "2" on the second page, and so on. If you want it to say "Page 1 of 5", click Page Number, type " of ", then click Number of Pages. Click Current Date to insert today's date — Excel will update this each time you print, so the date will always be current.

These fields appear as codes in the header box (like "&[Page]"), but they will print as actual numbers and dates. This is normal and expected.

Removing or changing headers and footers

To remove a header or footer, go back to Insert > Header & Footer, click in the box that contains the text you want to delete, select all the text (Ctrl+A on Windows, Command+A on Mac), and press Delete. The box will be empty, and nothing will print in that location.

To change what is already there, click in the box, select the text you want to replace, and type the new text. You can also mix typed text and automatic fields — for example, type "Report created: " and then click Current Date to add the date right after it.

Previewing your header and footer before printing

Before you print, it is a good idea to see what your pages will actually look like. Click File at the top left, then click Print. On the right side of the screen, you will see a preview of the first page. Scroll through the preview to check that your header and footer appear where you expect them and that they do not overlap with your data.

If something looks wrong, click the back arrow to return to your spreadsheet, go back to Insert > Header & Footer, and make your changes. Then preview again. Once you are satisfied, you can print or close the preview.

Different headers or footers for different pages

Sometimes you want the first page to look different from the rest — for example, no header on page one, but a header on pages two and beyond. When you are in the header and footer view, look for a checkbox labeled Different First Page. Check this box, and you will see that the header and footer sections now have separate areas for the first page and for the remaining pages. Set up each one the way you want.

You can also check Different Odd & Even Pages if you are printing double-sided and want the left-hand pages to have a different header than the right-hand pages. This is common in professional documents. Set up the odd page header, then set up the even page header separately.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why can't I see my header or footer on the screen?

Headers and footers are print-only — they do not display while you are working in the spreadsheet. You will only see them when you print, export to PDF, or use the Print Preview. This is by design, so your working view stays clean and focused on the data.

Can I add an image or logo to the header?

Yes. When you are in the header and footer view, look for a button labeled Picture in the ribbon. Click it, choose an image file from your computer, and it will be inserted into the header. You can resize it by clicking and dragging the corners. The image will print at the top of every page.

What if my header is cutting off part of my data when I print?

Your header is taking up space at the top of the page. Go to File > Print > Page Setup (or Format > Page on Mac), then click the Margins tab. Increase the top margin value to give the header more room, or decrease the header size by using shorter text or a smaller font.

Can I have different headers in different parts of the same spreadsheet?

Not within a single print job. Headers and footers explore to the entire document. If you need different headers for different sections, you would need to print those sections separately, or split the data into different files.

How do I remove the header and footer completely?

Go to Insert > Header & Footer, click in each header and footer box, delete any text or fields, and leave them empty. When all boxes are blank, headers and footers will not print. You can also click the Header or Footer dropdown menu and select None if that option appears.