Ch5: Headers, Footers, and Page Breaks

Headers and footers

The header is a section of the document that appears in the top margin, while the footer is a section of the document that appears in the bottom margin. Text entered in the header or footer will appear on each page of the document.

To insert a header or footer:

1. Click Insert, then hover over Headers & footers. From the drop-down menu, you can select either Header or Footer.

Depending on your selection, the insertion point will relocate to either the top or bottom margin of the page. 

Type the desired text. When you're finished, press the Esc key on your keyboard to close the header or footer. 

Formatting text in a header or footer

To format text in headers and footers, you can use many of the same formatting options that are available to format text in the body of your document. You can align the text, modify the font style and size, and add bolding, italics, and underlining. Visit our lesson on Formatting Text and Adding Hyperlinks to learn more about the formatting options available in Google Docs.

To add page numbers to a header or footer:

Google Docs can automatically label each page with a page number and place it in a header or footer. If you want to display the word Page as part of the page number, you will need to type Page at the desired location in the header.

1. Select the document's header or footer.

2. Place the insertion point where you want the page number to appear. Type the word Page if you want.

Click Insert and hover the mouse over Page numbers, then select Top of page or Bottom of page. 

The page count will appear in the document after the page number. 

Page breaks

Page breaks allow you to have more control over the layout of your document. You might use a page break if you're writing a paper that has a title page or a bibliography to ensure it starts on a new page.

To insert a page break:

1. Place the insertion point at the location where you want the page break to appear.

Click Insert, then hover over Break. From the drop-down menu, select Page break. 

The page break will appear in the document. 

Working with footnotes

A footnote provides additional information on the text it refers to. It could include information for how to learn more about the topic, or it could include a citation (a reference to published work) for a quote used in the text. Footnotes are commonly used in research reports and academic writing. For more information about adding footnotes, visit our lesson on Adding Citations.

To add footnotes:

1. Place the insertion point after the text the footnote will refer to.

Click Insert, then select Footnote from the drop-down menu. 

Google Docs will place a superscript number in the body of the document, as well as at the bottom of the page. The insertion point will now be at the bottom of the page. 

Type the text you want to display as additional information. 

Horizontal lines

Horizontal lines separate text into sections. The addition of a few thoughtfully placed horizontal lines can make your document more visually appealing and easier to read.

To add a horizontal line:

1. Place the insertion point at the location where you want the horizontal line to appear.

Click Insert, then select Horizontal line from the drop-down menu. 

The horizontal line will appear in the document. 

Challenge!

1. Open our example file. Make sure you're signed in to Google, then click File > Make a copy.

2. Insert a header. On the first line, type First Edition; on the second line, type November 2020.

3. Right-align the text you just entered and bold the words First Edition.

4. In the footer, insert a page number and right-align it.

5. In the footnote, select the hyperlink and use the cut feature to remove it.

6. Select the text ASPCA, Pet Statistics, format it as a hyperlink, and paste the web address you cut in the previous step.

7. When you're finished, the first page of your document should look something like this: