Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: Odd & Even Headers and Footers.

Odd & Even Headers and Footers

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated May 9, 2020)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365


As you have learned in other WordTips, Word allows you to easily add headers and footers to your document. You can also specify that different headers and footers be used for both odd and even pages. Word will then automatically determine which footer is the proper one to use for the given page. To define separate odd and even headers or footers, do the following:

  1. Display the Layout tab of the ribbon (Page Layout in earlier versions of Word).
  2. Click the small icon at the bottom-right of the Page Setup group. Word displays the Page Setup dialog box.
  3. Click on the Layout tab. (See Figure 1.)
  4. Figure 1. The Layout tab of the Page Setup dialog box.

  5. In the Headers and Footers section, make sure the check box labeled Different Odd and Even is selected.
  6. Click on OK.

Now you can set the headers and footers:

  1. Make sure you have at least two pages of text in your document. (You can't create both odd and even headers or footers unless you have both odd and even pages in the document.)
  2. Display the Insert tab of the ribbon.
  3. In the Header & Footer group, click either the Header tool or the Footer tool, depending on which you want to modify. Word displays a series of choices for different headers or footers you can insert.
  4. Choose either Edit Header or Edit Footer, depending on your choice in step 3. Word adds a Header & Footer tab to the ribbon (Design tab in earlier versions of Word) and places the insertion point in the header or footer area. Notice the label that indicates whether the header or footer is for the odd or even pages.
  5. If desired, enter the information for the header or footer, formatting it as you would format normal text in your document.
  6. Click on the Go to Header or Go to Footer tools, as appropriate, to enter information for the header (if you created the footer in step 5) or the footer (if you created the header in step 5).
  7. Click on the Show Previous tool or the Show Next tool. The header or footer changes to the odd header or footer (if you were previously working on the even ones), or vice versa.
  8. Follow steps 5 through 7 to make your header or footer changes.
  9. Click on Close Header and Footer when your headers and footers are defined the way you want them.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (9803) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Odd & Even Headers and Footers.

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

Adding Drop-Shadows to Paragraphs

Drop shadows are a style of paragraph border used to enhance the visual impact of a paragraph. They are also a great way ...

Discover More

Returning to Where You Were Before Finding Something

When you use the Find and Replace dialog box to do editing, you could easily lose track of where you were before ...

Discover More

Deriving an Absolute Value

Want to know the absolute value of a number? It's easy to derive in VBA by using the Abs function.

Discover More

Learning Made Easy! Quickly teach yourself how to format, publish, and share your content using Word 2013. With Step by Step, you set the pace, building and practicing the skills you need, just when you need them! Check out Microsoft Word 2013 Step by Step today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Quickly Formatting Footers in Documents with Many Sections

Need to adjust all the footers or headers in a document that uses lots of them? It's easy to do if you understand how the ...

Discover More

Keyboard Shortcut to Access Header and Footer

Some folks like to avoid using the mouse whenever possible, preferring to leave their hands on the keyboard. If you are ...

Discover More

Including a Printer's Name in a Footer

If you can produce output on a number of different printers, you may want Word to indicate on your printouts which ...

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 6 - 0?

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 ribbon interface (Word 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the menu 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.