Find out how to Defend Header and Footer Areas in Microsoft Phrase

Headers are an necessary a part of many Microsoft Phrase paperwork. As soon as all the things’s in place, you possibly can shield the header so nobody can inadvertently mess it up, particularly if you happen to’re collaborating with others in your group.

You may shield a doc, however there’s no setting that allows you to shield solely the header and footer whereas persevering with to permit customers to edit the physique of the doc. Luckily, you possibly can shield the header and unprotect the physique when crucial, however the course of isn’t intuitive.

SEE: 5 Methods to Delete a Web page in Phrase (TechRepublic)

On this tutorial, I’ll present you a three-step course of for shielding the header or footer space with out defending the physique of the Phrase doc. I’ll be working within the header, however this system protects each the header and the footer.

I’m utilizing Microsoft 365 on a Home windows 10 64-bit system, however you should utilize earlier variations of Phrase. This text isn’t applicable for Phrase for the online. Sadly, this resolution isn’t one for on-line collaboration, as a result of Phrase for the online gained’t open a doc with enabled safety in any part. You may obtain the Microsoft Phrase demo file for this tutorial.

The first step: Find out how to insert a web page break in Phrase

As soon as a doc is in fine condition and also you’ve added header content material, you may need to maintain others from modifying that part. Doing so is straightforward, however there’s no quick-click resolution. Step one is so as to add a web page break, as follows:

1. Press Ctrl + Dwelling to maneuver the cursor to the primary place on web page one of many doc. The break should be the very first thing within the doc.
2. Click on Present/Cover within the Paragraph group on the Dwelling tab. This step isn’t technically crucial however displaying the web page break image will make issues simpler.
3. Click on the Structure tab.
4. Within the Web page Setup group, click on the Breaks dropdown and select Steady.

As you possibly can see within the picture above, the part break is the very first thing on the doc’s first web page, as a result of the cursor was firstly of that web page once we inserted the break. The place of this break permits us to format the header in a different way than the physique of the doc.

For those who’re not acquainted with part breaks, they apply to the content material earlier than the break and the one factor earlier than this break is the header space. The subsequent step will assist make clear why that issues.

You may be questioning how this resolution also can apply to the footer if the break applies to the content material earlier than the break. Phrase does assist you to enter completely different header and footer content material, however internally, Phrase sees the header and footer as the identical space.

SEE: 6 Finest Free Options to Microsoft Phrase (TechRepublic)

Step two: Find out how to shield the doc in Phrase

Our second step might sound a bit counterproductive, however it’ll all come collectively ultimately. Now, we have to shield all the doc, together with the header, footer, and the physique.

To guard all the doc, do the next:

1. Click on the File tab after which click on Information within the left pane.
2. Click on Defend Doc and select Prohibit Modifying from the dropdown. Phrase will return to the doc and show the modifying choices within the Prohibit Modifying pane.
3. Examine the second possibility and select No Adjustments (Learn Solely) from the dropdown.

At this level, you’ve protected all the doc: For those who stopped proper now, nobody would be capable to edit something. That’s not what we wish. We have to unprotect the physique of the doc.

SEE: Find out how to Use Part Breaks to Management Formatting in Phrase (TechRepublic)

Step three: Find out how to unprotect the physique of the doc in Phrase

For those who’re not acquainted with Phrase safety, you may be questioning the place we’re headed as a result of defending all the things within the doc wasn’t what we meant once we set out. We need to shield the doc’s header however nonetheless be capable to edit the physique of the Phrase doc.

Right here’s easy methods to unprotect the physique of the doc:

1. Choose all the things within the doc however the part header. To take action, place the cursor firstly of the primary line within the doc by urgent Ctrl + Dwelling. Then, press Ctrl + Shift + Finish to pick all the things however part break.
2. Within the Prohibit Modifying pane, test the Everybody possibility within the Exceptions part.
3. In part three, click on Sure, Begin Implementing Safety.
4. When Phrase prompts you for a password, as proven within the second picture under, enter “pw” twice and click on OK. When making use of this to your personal work, you’ll need to use a safer password. For demonstration functions, we need to maintain all the things easy.

Search for the opening and shutting brackets firstly and ending, respectively, of the unprotected space. Because the writer, you’ll know the password to the Phrase doc so you may make adjustments to the header and footer space. Others can edit the physique of the doc, however not the header and footer space.

This resolution isn’t intuitive, and, oddly, Phrase doesn’t supply an possibility for shielding solely the header and footer. Nonetheless, you possibly can nonetheless achieve this utilizing this straightforward approach.

This text was initially printed in September 2022. It was up to date by Antony Peyton in January 2025.