Headers and Footers
Excel calls three unrelated things a header, and the one you get from Insert > Header & Footer is page furniture that only appears on the printout. It never shows in Normal view, which is the whole reason people add one, see nothing change, and add it again. The second meaning is a header row — the labels across the top of your data, which is simply row 1 until you turn the range into a Table and they become real field names. The third is keeping those labels visible, and that splits again: Freeze Panes holds them on screen, while Print Titles repeats them at the top of every printed page.
The formula
&[Page] the current page number
&[Pages] the total page count -> Page &[Page] of &[Pages]
&[Date] &[Time] re-evaluated at print time, not frozen when you insert them
&[File] &[Tab] the workbook file name / this worksheet tab name
&[Path]&[File] the full folder path followed by the file name
&[Picture] an inserted logo — sized in Format Picture, never by draggingA worked example
A 12-page report that needs "Page 3 of 12" centred at the foot of every sheet and the file name in the top right corner.
Page Layout > the Page Setup dialog launcher > Header/Footer > Custom Footer, typing Page &[Page] of &[Pages] into the centre box
Print Preview runs from "Page 1 of 12" through "Page 12 of 12", and Page Layout view shows the same. Normal view shows nothing whatsoever, which is the single most common reason people conclude the footer failed to save. If the first page comes out bare, Different first page is ticked on the Header/Footer tab and holds a separate, empty set of boxes.
Which one do I need?
| If you want to… | Use |
|---|---|
| Text, a date or a page count belongs at the top or bottom of every printed page | Insert > Header & Footer, or the Header/Footer tab of the Page Setup dialog for the three-box layout |
| You added a header and cannot see it anywhere | Normal view never draws headers — switch to View > Page Layout, or open Print Preview |
| The column labels of your data must repeat at the top of each printed page | Page Layout > Print Titles > Rows to repeat at top, entered as $1:$1 — an entirely separate setting from the header |
| The column labels must stay visible while you scroll on screen | Freeze Panes, which is a view setting and never reaches the printout |
| You mean the labels across the top of your data rather than page furniture | That is just row 1 — converting the range to a Table turns those labels into real field names that formulas and filters can use |
| A header or footer needs removing | Clear all three boxes on the Header/Footer tab, or pick (none) from the dropdown — then check Different first page and Different odd & even, each of which hides its own separate copy |
| A logo belongs in the header | Insert Picture inside a header box writes &[Picture]; the image resizes only through Format Picture, because it is never a draggable object |
| Page numbers are all you actually need | Insert > Page Number writes &[Page] into the centre footer box; add of &[Pages] for the total |
| The header is fine but the report breaks across pages badly | That is page setup rather than the header — margins, scaling and where the breaks land |
Frequently asked questions
Why can I not see the header I just added?
Normal view does not render headers or footers at all — they exist only on the printed page. Switch to View > Page Layout to see and edit them in place, or open Print Preview to check them. Nothing is wrong with the file; that view simply does not draw the layer they live on.
How do I repeat my column headings on every printed page?
Not through the header. Use Page Layout > Print Titles and put $1:$1 into "Rows to repeat at top", which reprints the actual first row of the sheet above each page of data. The header area is separate page furniture and knows nothing at all about your columns.
How do I delete a header or footer?
Open Page Layout > Page Setup > Header/Footer and either choose (none) from the dropdown or empty all three custom boxes. If text still survives on some pages, Different first page or Different odd & even pages is ticked, and each of those keeps its own set of boxes that must be cleared separately.
Why is the logo in my header enormous?
A picture placed in a header arrives at its original pixel size and cannot be dragged smaller, because the box holds the code &[Picture] rather than a resizable object. Put the cursor in that box, click Format Picture on the Header & Footer tab, and set the height and width there.
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