How to Remove Headers and Footers in Word

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To remove a header and footer from a Word document, choose Insert > Header > Remove Header, then Insert > Footer > Remove Footer. In a document with multiple sections, repeat the check in each section. Header and footer content can also differ on the first page or on odd and even pages, so inspect those variants before assuming the document is clear.

Contents hide
1 Remove both from a simple document
2 Check every section and page variant
3 Remove every header and footer at once
4 If you only want one page without a header
5 What if you only want to remove page numbers?
6 What if there is still blank space?
7 If something remains after removal

Remove both from a simple document

  1. Save a copy of the document if you may need the original page numbers, logo, or date later.
  2. Click anywhere in the document and choose Insert > Header > Remove Header. This removes the header in the current section.
  3. Choose Insert > Footer > Remove Footer. Check the top and bottom of more than one page in Print Layout.
  4. Open File > Print or export a PDF and inspect the first, middle, and last pages. This catches a different header or footer that may still be present elsewhere.

Microsoft’s remove headers and footers instructions use the Insert menu and explicitly say to repeat the process for each section.

Check every section and page variant

A section break lets Word use a different header or footer later in the document. Turn on Home > Show/Hide ¶ to find section breaks, and inspect the first page of each section. Removing a header in one section may leave another section’s header intact. Do not delete section breaks simply to clear a header; they may control orientation, page numbers, and margins.

Double-click in a header or footer area and look at Different First Page and Different Odd & Even Pages. Those options create separate areas. If they are in use, inspect and remove the contents of each relevant area. Also note whether Link to Previous is active between sections before changing a shared design. Our guide to different headers and footers explains how section links affect changes.

Remove every header and footer at once

In a long document with many sections, desktop Word for Windows can clear all headers and footers in one pass with the Document Inspector.

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  1. Save a copy of the document first. The inspector’s changes may not be undoable.
  2. Select File > Info > Check for Issues > Inspect Document. Save the file if Word asks.
  3. Make sure Headers, Footers, and Watermarks is checked, then select Inspect.
  4. Next to Headers, Footers, and Watermarks, select Remove All, then Close.

This also removes watermarks, and it clears headers and footers in every section and page variant, including page numbers. Use the Insert menu commands instead if you want to keep any of them.

If you only want one page without a header

Do not remove the whole document’s header for a single-page request. For a cover page, Different First Page is usually the simplest route: leave the first-page header empty while retaining the standard header afterward. For a page in the middle, you generally need section boundaries and must unlink the relevant header or footer from the previous section. Check the following section too, because changing a linked area can affect later pages. A page break alone does not create an independent header.

What if you only want to remove page numbers?

Page numbers usually live inside the header or footer, so removing the whole footer also removes them. If you want to keep the rest of the footer, remove just the numbers instead.

  1. Choose Insert > Page Number > Remove Page Numbers.
  2. Scroll through the document and check each section. If a number remains, double-click that footer or header, select the number, and press Delete.

What if there is still blank space?

Removing text from a header or footer does not necessarily change the top or bottom margin. If the page still has too much white space, inspect Layout > Margins and the header/footer distance settings in Page Setup. Adjust them only if the document’s format allows it and the printer can use the resulting area. Do not keep pressing Backspace in the body to close a margin; that can damage the document’s layout.

If something remains after removal

  • A page number is still visible: It may be in a separate first-page or odd/even footer, or another section. Inspect the actual area containing it.
  • A logo remains near the top: Check whether it is a floating picture anchored in the body rather than in the header. Select it to see its layout and anchor.
  • The command is unavailable: Verify that the document is editable and that you are not in a protected or view-only state.
  • Word for the web looks different: Its Insert > Header or Footer menu also has Remove commands, but complex section formatting is easier to inspect in desktop Word.

Save and reopen the edited copy, then inspect print preview again. A clean first page is not enough evidence when the document contains sections or alternate-page headers.

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