Create a page footer
A “page footer” is a section across the very bottom of the page, which stays the same (or similar) on every page on the document. It’s like the header, but at the bottom. We’re going to add a footer that looks something like this:
As with the header, you can simply double-click in the footer space to edit it. Or, you can go to Insert > Footer > Blank.
Practice point: Add a footer that says “Material courtesy of Avatar Wiki.” It should look something like the image at the top of this page.
Page numbers
One of the most common uses of the footer is to display page numbers. We’re going to add page numbers that read “Page X of Y”, on the bottom-right of the page.
Note: When we do this it will overwrite the previous information we’ve entered in the footer.
- Go to Insert > Page Number > Bottom of Page > and scroll down to find Bold Numbers 3
- That’s it!
Your document now has page numbers in our desired format.
- There are lots of different formats available. The one you choose will need to be appropriate for your document.
Practice point: Take a moment to explore the various types of page numbers available.
Different First Page
It’s common for documents to have a cover page. Often it looks strange to have a page number on the front page, so you’d like the footer to only appear from page 2 onwards.
That’s easily achieved!
- If you’re not currently in the footer, double click on it so you can edit it.
- Find the tick box that says “Different First Page”, and tick it.
This will remove the footer from the first page.
- If you wish, you can add a unique footer on the first page. Or, you can leave it blank.
Different Odd & Even Pages
Documents that are designed to be opened like a book will often have the page numbers on the outside edge of the page. That means the left-hand page would have the page numbers on the left of the page, and the right-hand page would have page numbers on the right of the page.
This is easily achieved, too.
- If you’re not currently in the footer, double click on it so you can edit it.
- Find the tick box that says “Different Odd & Even Pages”, and tick it.
When you tick this box, pages 2, 4, 6, etc will lose their footer. You can add the footer you need on those pages.
The odd pages (3, 5, 7 etc) will still have the footer you gave them.
Practice point: Add page numbers to your document. Use “Bold Numbers 1” on even pages, and “Bold Numbers 3” on odd pages.
Nice effort!
Good work, ! You’re knee-deep into a document now, and you’ve formatted it nicely, added page numbers, and checked the spelling. You’re doing great!
Before moving on, have a look at the checklist below. You should be able to do all these things now. If not, go back through this lesson and practice some more. When you feel comfortable that you’ve got these things sorted, tick them off and move on to the next lesson.
[checklist_in_post]- Insert page breaks
- Create a header and a footer
- Add page numbers