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14. Protection, Sharing and Printing

14.6 Header and Footer in Excel

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Steps in Excel

  1. Insert › Text › Header & Footer – the sheet switches to Page Layout view.
  2. Click the left/centre/right section and type, or use Header & Footer › Header & Footer Elements: Page Number, Number of Pages, Current Date, File Name, Sheet Name, Picture.
  3. Codes look like &[Page] of &[Pages], &[Date], &[Tab].
  4. Options on the same tab: Different First Page, Different Odd & Even Pages, Scale with Document.
  5. Alternative: Page Layout › Page Setup dialog launcher › Header/Footer tab › Custom Header….
  6. Return with View › Workbook Views › Normal.

Worked example.

Section Content Printed as
Header centre FreshGo Maharashtra – City Sales, March 2026 title on every page
Footer left &[Tab] Orders
Footer centre Page &[Page] of &[Pages] Page 2 of 5
Footer right Printed &[Date] Printed 01-04-2026 (depends on your system date format)

About this data: Teaching sample for a fictional shop “Orbit Logistics”. Figures and names (e.g. Priya Deshmukh) are made up for this lesson on headers and footers.

Ravindra Bagale's Tip

Many students write the report title in the first row of the sheet and don't add page numbers – then if the order of the printed pages gets mixed up, nothing makes sense. Put the title in the header and "Page 1 of 5" in the footer; they appear on every page automatically.

Worked example — headers and footers

Why

Neha Shah in Pune and Oliver Bennett abroad both need a clear, repeatable way to use headers and footers on a NovaCraft Tools sheet without breaking totals.

What

Headers And Footers is the Excel idea this page teaches. We will walk one tiny example end to end.

How

  1. Open a blank sheet. In A1 type a short label for headers and footers.
  2. Enter a small made-up value for Neha Shah using £ where money appears.
  3. Add a second value for Oliver Bennett using £ so you see mixed currencies stay numeric.
  4. Apply the method from this lesson step by step (menu or formula as shown above).
  5. Check the result still works inside SUM or a simple check cell.

Formula / action

Follow the formula or ribbon steps shown in this lesson (keep values numeric).
Result: The demo cell shows the expected result for NovaCraft Tools's sample row.
Meaning: Once headers and footers is correct on one row, copy the same pattern down the column.

Practice tasks (10+)

Try these on a blank sheet. Open a hint only if you are stuck. No quiz — just practice.

1. Rebuild the smallest example of headers and footers on a blank sheet for Summit Schools.

Hint: Use only the steps on this page. Keep numbers numeric.

2. Change one input for Aamir Khan and confirm the result updates.

Hint: If the result is stuck, check absolute vs relative references.

3. Repeat the same steps with a £ or € value for Carlos Rivera.

Hint: Formatting must not break SUM.

4. Write the result meaning in one plain sentence next to the cell.

Hint: Imagine explaining it to a new joiners.

5. Add a second row and fill the method down.

Hint: Double-click the fill handle if the pattern is consistent.

6. Break the example on purpose, then fix it using this lesson.

Hint: Common break: text instead of a number.

7. Apply headers and footers to a 5-row made-up Summit Schools table.

Hint: Keep column headers clear.

8. Check your answer with a simple total or COUNT.

Hint: A wrong total usually means a format or key mismatch.

9. Swap ₹ and $ on one column and re-check totals.

Hint: Stored values stay the same; only the display changes.

10. List two mistakes beginners make with headers and footers.

Hint: Look back at the tip box on this page.

11. Teach the steps out loud in under one minute.

Hint: Why → What → How.

12. Save the sheet as SummitSchoo_practice.xlsx.

Hint: Use a clear file name for class.

Loading practice tasks...

  1. Input cells to unlock (Easy): How many cells are in the Monthly target column?
  2. Total target (Easy): Add up the Monthly target column.
  3. Total actual (Easy): Add up the Actual column.
  4. Highest target (Easy): What is the largest value in the Monthly target column?
  5. Overall achievement (Medium): Divide the total Actual by the total Monthly target. Round to 3 decimals.
  6. Cities below target (Medium): How many cities have a Gap below 0?
  7. Manager for a city (Medium): Find the Manager for City "Toronto".
  8. Pages to print (Medium): If one page holds 4 data rows, how many pages do the rows need?
  9. Gap for the first city (Medium): For the first row, find Actual minus Monthly target.
  10. Best performer (Hard): Which City has the largest Actual?
  11. Status for the first city (Hard): For the first row, return "Hit" if Actual is at least Monthly target, else "Miss".
  12. Total shortfall (Hard): Add up the Gap column only where it is below 0, and show it as a positive number.

See all practice tasks in the Task Hub →

Quick revision cards

Three standalone cards. Each one explains the idea with its own example. Scan the QR to open this lesson.

Revision card 1: What is Headers And Footers?
Card 1: What is Headers And Footers? · Download PNG
Revision card 2: Tiny example — Headers And Footers
Card 2: Tiny example — Headers And Footers · Download PNG
Revision card 3: Checklist — Headers And Footers
Card 3: Checklist — Headers And Footers · Download PNG

More worked examples: header and footer in Excel

Suppose we are at Infosys. We print a 5-page sales report for a client meeting. Every page should show the company name at the top and "Page 1 of 5" at the bottom. That top part is the header and the bottom part is the footer.

Example 1 (simplest): add a header text

Put the client name on top of every page.

Steps:

  1. Click Insert, then Header & Footer.
  2. Excel switches to Page Layout view and the cursor goes to the middle header box.
  3. Type Infosys Sales Report.
  4. Click any cell in the sheet to finish.

Output: Every printed page shows Infosys Sales Report at the top.

Example 2: Page 1 of 5 in the footer

Show page numbers at the bottom.

Steps:

  1. In Page Layout view, click the middle footer box.
  2. On the Header & Footer tab click Page Number, type of , then click Number of Pages.
  3. The box shows &[Page] of &[Pages].

Output: Print preview shows Page 1 of 5, Page 2 of 5 and so on.

Example 3: date on the right, remove it later

Add today's date, then remove the header.

Steps:

  1. Click the right header box and click Current Date. It shows &[Date].
  2. To remove: click File, Print, Page Setup, open the Header/Footer tab.
  3. Set Header to (none) and click OK.

Output: The date updates each time you print, and after the last step the header is gone.

See also: Repeat header rows on every page · Protection, sharing and printing · Excel date functions

Frequently asked questions

How do I add a header and footer in Excel?

Click Insert, then Header & Footer. Type in the header box at the top, scroll down to type in the footer box, then click a cell to finish.

How do I add page numbers in the Excel footer?

Click the footer box, then Page Number on the Header & Footer tab. Add " of " and Number of Pages for Page 1 of 5.

Why can I not see the header in Normal view?

Headers and footers show only in Page Layout view and Print preview. Normal view hides them.