My header or footer is missing

Symptoms

When you open a document, is the insertion point at the top left corner of the page, as if there were no header ? Or is the header or footer missing from the first page of your document?

Cause

You must use Print Layout or Full Screen Reading view to see headers and footers.

If you're reading the document in Print Layout view and all of the pages appear to be cut off, with no top or bottom header or footer areas, the option for hiding white space between pages has been turned on.

If you see the top and bottom header and footer areas, but only the first page of the document is missing its header or footer, the option for suppressing headers and footers on the first page may have been turned on.

Resolution

Missing white space

If the top and bottom header and footer areas are not showing, you can restore them by pointing and clicking in the document, or by using the View tab.

When top and bottom header and footer areas are not showing, point to the top or bottom of a page until the pointer becomes a double-pointed arrow, and then double click.

When white space between pages is showing, the entire top and bottom margins are visible.

To use the View tab to show white space between pages, do the following:

1. On the View tab, in the Document Views group, click Print Layout.

   

2. Click the Microsoft Office Button , and then click Word Options.
3. Click Display.
4. Under Page display options, select the Show white space between pages in Print Layout view check box.

Missing headers and footers on the first page

If you see headers and footers on every page except the first page, the Different first page option may be selected.

1. On the View tab, in the Document Views group, click Print Layout.

   

2. On the Page Layout tab, click the Page Setup Dialog Box Launcher, and then click the Layout tab.
3. Clear the Different first page check box.

Note Headers and footers appear only in Print Layout view, Print Preview, and in printed documents.