Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007 and 2010. 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: Editing Headers and Footers.
You are probably already aware that you can create and/or edit headers and footers in Word by using the tools in the Header & Footer group on the Insert tab of the ribbon. Once you've created a header or footer, though, the easiest and quickest way to edit it is to switch to make sure you are in Print Layout view and double-click in the header or footer area. You can also double-click anywhere above or below the document area.
To return to document editing mode when you are done making changes to the header or footer, double-click anywhere in the normal document area, or click the Close Header and Footer button on the Design tab of the ribbon. (This tab is visible only when working in a header or footer.)
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (11669) applies to Microsoft Word 2007 and 2010. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Editing Headers and Footers.
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!
Don't want a header or footer to appear on just a portion of your document? It's easy to do when you understand that ...
Discover MoreIf you are creating a macro that, in the course of processing your document, needs to update all the fields in the ...
Discover MoreWhen you print a document, does the position of the page footer seem to move left and right? This could have to do with ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2015-10-30 17:43:50
Lisa
I've found that double clicking a footer doesn't always work, such as when a table is the last thing on a page. In those cases, I right click in the footer and click "Edit footer."
An even quicker way to exit a header or footer is to press "Esc."
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.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2021 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007 and 2010. 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: 
Comments