Headers in Excel go in the top margin of each printed page, not in the spreadsheet cells themselves
A header is text or information that appears at the very top of a printed page, separate from your actual data. In Excel, headers are not part of your worksheet — they live in a special printing area that you access through the Page Layout menu. The same goes for footers, which appear at the bottom of each page.
Headers are useful for adding things like your company name, the date, the page number, or the document title to every printed page without taking up space in your actual spreadsheet. Once you set up a header, it prints automatically on every page of your document.
Key Takeaways
- Headers and footers in Excel are accessed through the Insert menu (Excel 2016 and newer) or Page Layout menu (Excel 2010–2013), not by typing in cells.
- You can add text, page numbers, dates, file names, and sheet names to headers and footers using built-in fields.
- Headers and footers appear only when you print or view Print Preview — they do not show in the normal spreadsheet view.
- You can set different headers for the first page or for odd and even pages if your document needs them.
How to add a header in Excel 2016 and newer
Open your spreadsheet and go to the Insert tab at the top of the screen. Look for the Header & Footer button in the ribbon — it is usually on the right side of the Insert tab. Click it, and Excel will switch to a special view called Page Layout view.
In Page Layout view, you will see three boxes at the top of your page: a left section, a center section, and a right section. Click in whichever section you want to use. Type your text directly — for example, "Annual Report 2024" in the center box. When you are done, click anywhere in the spreadsheet to exit the header editing mode.
To add page numbers, dates, or other fields instead of plain text, click in the header section and then look for the Header & Footer Tools tab that appears. You will see buttons for Page Number, Date, Time, File Name, and Sheet Name. Click the one you need, and Excel will insert a code that prints the current information on each page.
How to add a header in Excel 2010 through 2013
Go to the Page Layout tab at the top of the screen. Find the Print Titles group and click Page Setup — this opens a dialog box. Click the Header/Footer tab inside the dialog.
You will see a dropdown that says "Header" with a list of preset headers like "Page 1" or "Confidential". You can select one of these presets, or click the Custom Header button to write your own. In the Custom Header dialog, you get three sections (left, center, right) just like the newer version. Type your text or click the buttons to insert page numbers, dates, and other fields.
Adding footers works the same way
Footers follow the exact same process as headers — they just appear at the bottom of each page instead of the top. In Excel 2016 and newer, use the Insert tab and the Header & Footer button, then scroll down to see the footer boxes. In Excel 2010–2013, use Page Layout > Page Setup and click the Header/Footer tab, then look for the Footer dropdown.
A common footer setup is to put the page number on the right side and the date on the left, or to put the file name in the center. You can combine text you type with the automatic fields — for example, "Page " followed by the page number field will print as "Page 1", "Page 2", and so on.
Different headers for the first page or odd and even pages
If you want the first page to look different from the rest — for example, no header on a title page — you can set that up. In Excel 2016 and newer, go to Insert > Header & Footer, then look for the Header & Footer Tools tab. Check the box that says Different First Page. Now the first page header and footer are separate from the rest.
You can also have different headers for odd and even pages. In the same Header & Footer Tools tab, check Different Odd & Even Pages. This is useful if you are printing double-sided and want the page number on the outside edge of each page.
Seeing your headers before you print
Headers do not show in the normal spreadsheet view — you have to switch to Page Layout view or Print Preview to see them. To check your work, go to File > Print and look at the preview on the left side of the screen. You will see exactly how your header will look on the printed page.
If you need to edit the header after you have left Page Layout view, go back to Insert > Header & Footer (or Page Layout > Page Setup in older versions) and make your changes. You can also delete a header by going back to the same menu and clearing the text from all three sections.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put a picture or logo in a header?
Excel does not let you insert images directly into headers the way some other programs do. However, you can add a logo to the top of your spreadsheet as a regular image object, position it above your data, and then adjust your print area to include it. Alternatively, some users create a header row in the spreadsheet itself and format it to look like a header.
Why does my header not show when I print?
Check that your print area is set correctly and that you have not hidden the header in your print settings. Go to File > Print and look at the preview. If the header still does not appear, go back to Page Layout (or Insert > Header & Footer) and make sure you actually typed something in one of the header sections. Also check that your printer margins are not set so small that the header gets cut off.
Can I use a different header for each sheet in my workbook?
Yes. Each sheet in your workbook has its own header and footer settings. When you add a header to one sheet, it does not automatically appear on the others. Switch to a different sheet tab and set up its header separately if you need it to be different.
How do I remove a header I no longer need?
Go back to Insert > Header & Footer (or Page Layout > Page Setup), click in each of the three header sections, and delete any text you see. Make sure all three sections are empty, then click outside the header area. The header will no longer print.