How to Remove the Footer in Microsoft Word

Footers and headers are used to put the content of a multiple-page document into context. They can be used as descriptive tools or can simply act as areas where revision dates or numbers are listed.

Footers are somewhat customizable in Word, but they’re not always a necessity. They’re just as easy to remove as they are to add, no matter what platform you’re working on. Here are the fastest ways to get rid of footers or edit them to your liking.

Use the Insert Menu

The Insert menu in Microsoft Word is home to some of the most important tools for writers and editors. Not only can you use it to add tables, pictures, links, and pretty much anything else, you can also remove certain elements from a Word article, such as headers, footers, and page numbers.

Windows and New Versions of macOS

Here’s how to remove the footer from a document if you’re on a Windows computer or a newer Mac laptop.

1. Click the Insert button.
2. Find and click the Footer drop-down menu.
3. Select Remove Footer from the bottom of the list.

This process doesn’t have to be repeated on every page. Once you choose to remove the footer from a document it will do it for all your pages, whether you have different footers on some pages or not.

Office for Mac 2011

If you’re using an older version of Word and you’re running a Mac, the process may differ. Here’s one that works for Mac Office 2011.

1. Click on Layout.
2. Go to Page Setup.
3. Select Header & Footer.
4. Click on None in the pop-up menu.

Alternative

Whether you’re on a Mac or a PC, you can also use another method to access the footer menu.

1. Double click on the footer section at the bottom of the page.
2. This brings up the editing menu for headers and footers.
3. Click on the Footer button in the top menu.
4. Select Remove from the drop-down menu.

Removing Footers on a Single Page in Microsoft Word

For whatever reason, you might need to remove a footer on a single page in a Word document, here’s how to get it done.

1. Click Layout at the top of the screen. 
2. Next, select Breaks.
3. Now, select Next Page.
4. Now, under the Header & Footer section, select Link to Previous and turn off the link between page sections.
5. Next, select Remove Header or Remove Footer to get rid of them.
6. Hit Esc to exit out of the Header & Footer menu.

Editing Footers in Microsoft Word

Why delete if you’re only going to make a new footer? Instead of removing the footer and adding an extra unnecessary step to your creative process, try editing the footer instead.

Windows

1. Double click on the footer, this will open the Header & Footer settings at the top of the page.
   
2. Tick the Different First Page box for a custom first page footer.
3. Alternatively, tick the Different Odd & Even Pages option for separate footers and headers.
4. Add the footer content to your first page.
5. Press Esc to leave the menu.

Using this will create a separate footer on the first document page. Footers on remaining pages will be different than the first-page footer. Using the second option will give you different footers on even and odd pages.

macOS

1. Double click on the first-page footer.
   
2. Tick one or both of the first two boxes.
3. The existing footer will be removed.
4. Add new content for a new footer.

There are two things to note here. First, when using the Different First Page option, the first page footer won’t be reproduced anywhere else in the article. However, if you use the Different Odd & Even Pages option, then even and odd footers you’ve created will repeat throughout the document

Second, you could just double click the footer at any time and edit it that way. Double-clicking a footer or a header will bring up the Word Header & Footer window. From that window you can edit content, adjust the positioning, and even choose to remove footers from your document.

It’s also a shortcut for adding footers. Instead of going through the Insert menu, double-clicking at the bottom or top of a page will bring up the menu you will need to make header and footer adjustments. This can be useful if you have a basic Word setup with a minimalistic top bar, or if you have some font issues.

Are Footers Helpful or Not?

To make full use of footers you’ll have to work a lot more carefully with your document formatting. Getting the perfect placement often means having to view the document in both Full Page and Print Layout view modes.

Let us know if inserting footers in your documents has ever improved the looks and the overall quality of that document or if it was just one more thing to worry about.