Header only on first page?

Anonymous
2010-07-15T21:38:17+00:00

When I create a header in 2010 it is on every page.  For the life of me I can not find a first page only box to check.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For home | Windows

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

0 comments
Answer accepted by question author
Jay Freedman 208.3K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
2011-01-07T18:38:01+00:00

If you've already created the header text before you choose Different First Page, then the

simplest procedure is this:

  1. Select the header text and cut it to the clipboard.
  2. Set the Different First Page option.
  3. Paste the header text into the first page header.

An alternative, if Different First Page is already set, is to go to the second page

(insert a manual page break with Ctrl+Enter if there's only one page so far), cut the text

from its header, go to the first page header, and paste.

Jay Freedman

MS Word MVP  FAQ: http://word.mvps.org

Was this answer helpful?

300+ people found this answer helpful.
0 comments
Answer accepted by question author
Doug Robbins - MVP - Office Apps and Services 323.6K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
2010-07-15T22:20:15+00:00

Check the "Different First Page" box in the Options section of the Header & Footer Tools design tab of the ribbon, or, on the Page Layout tab, click on the right hand end of the page Setup bar and in the Page Setup dialog, go to the Layout tab and check the "Different first page" box.

Was this answer helpful?

100+ people found this answer helpful.
0 comments

44 additional answers

Sort by: Oldest
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Anonymous
    2015-07-05T02:35:23+00:00

    Check the "Different First Page" box in the Options section of the Header & Footer Tools design tab of the ribbon, or, on the Page Layout tab, click on the right hand end of the page Setup bar and in the Page Setup dialog, go to the Layout tab and check the "Different first page" box.

    It's not simple.  Why can't Microsoft make it simple and intuitive??  Why are you so dense when it comes to headers and footers?

    I started with what I think is the default, having the same header on every page.  Then I checked the "Different first page" box... and my first page – THE STUFF I WANTED – disappeared but the stuff I DIDN'T want – on the other pages – remained!  I want the opposite of that.  The opposite of that would be intuitive.

    BTW, in all the multi page documents I work on, I only want a header on the first page, not the rest.  That should be the default in my opinion, not having it on every page automatically.  At the very least you should have a SIMPLE and OBVIOUS toggle or other system to decide which pages will have the header/footer and which won't.

    The system you currently have for managing headers and footers is the most obtuse, difficult and counter-intuitive imaginable.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  2. Suzanne S Barnhill 279.4K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2015-07-05T02:55:55+00:00

    Be aware that you are not addressing Microsoft here. We're all just volunteers, other users like you. It may not be intuitive, but it is logical. The header you start out with (the "primary Header") is the one that appears on every page. When you choose "Different First Page," you get a First Page Header that will appear only on the first page. If you've already put content into the Header, you can cut it from there and paste it into the First Page Header.

    Was this answer helpful?

    1 person found this answer helpful.
    0 comments
  3. Anonymous
    2015-09-06T18:23:21+00:00
    1. Paste or type your header in on page 1.
    2. Follow the instructions for selecting the different header on 1st page option in the design tab (You will see the header on the first page disappear once you select that option).
    3. Re-paste or re-type the header you want back onto the first page.
    4. Select the header on page 2 and delete it - you should then just have the header you want only on page 1.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments