Microsoft Word provides a built-in feature to create headers for your documents. This way, you can add your company logo, stamps, or branding elements without having to create them again and again.

Creating a custom header for your organization is a great way to make your Word documents look professional. It can also reduce one of the repetitive design tasks on your documents. Here’s how you can make your Word documents stand out with a custom header.

How to Insert a Header in Microsoft Word

You can either add the built-in headers from Microsoft Word or customize them as per your requirements.

1. To start, open your Word document and click on the Insert tab.

Inserting a header

2. Next, click on the Header option to either add a header or edit it. Here you’ll also see the built-in headers provided by Microsoft Word.

Built-in-headers

3. After selecting one of the Built-in headers, click on Close Header and Footer to start editing your document.

closing header and footer

This is a great option if you’re creating college projects or personal documents that don’t require a lot of customizing. However, we’re more interested in designing the header to match our styles. So let’s see how that’s done!

How to Customize the Header

1. Just below the built-in header features on the Word menu, you’ll see the Edit Header option. Select that to edit your header.

Editing a header in MS Word

2. This will display the Design tab of Header & Footer Tools. With the options under this tab, you can create a personalized header that suits your style.

Tip: Double-click on the top of any page of the document to open the Edit Header option.

Here are the different elements you can customize to create your unique header. All options are available on the Header & Footer tab on the Ribbon:

Pictures

Pictures are the most important visual element in a header. A picture can be a company's logo or something else.

1. With the Header & Footer tab open, select Pictures. Next, browse to the image you want to add from your PC and insert it in your document's header.

Selecting a picture for a header

2. You can also add images from the web using the Online Pictures option located in the Insert group of the Header & Footer ribbon.

Choosing a picture online

Document Title

1. Go to the Document Info menu on the Insert group and click on Document Title.

Document title in header

2. This creates a placeholder in the Header section. You can update your Document Title here.

Title in MS Word header

Document Title is just one of the information about the Word Document. Likewise, there are other properties you can add to the header.

Document Property

Document Property can be any detail regarding the document such as Author, Company, Company Address, etc.

1. To add these, go to Document Info > Document Property, and select the property that you want to add.

Document property in MS Word

2. As an example, let’s add the Author of the document to the header. When you select the option, it will create a placeholder for the author. By default, it will take the current author’s name. However, this is editable and can be updated.

Author name in header

Page Number

1. Click on Page Number to display the dropdown.

2. Select the Top of Page option to include it in the header. Again, Microsoft Word has some built-in designs to add a Page Number to your header. You can select the one that you want to add.

Page number in header

Date & Time

1. Click on Date & Time.

2. Select the format you want to insert in the document.

3. If you want to automatically update this information, then you can check the Update automatically box.

Date/time in header

4. After selecting the format, click OK.

Quick Parts

Quick Parts can be used to add frequently-used blocks of text to the documents. Quick Parts is another method to speed up your header design. Let's look at how to use Quick Parts within the header.

1. Save Selection lets you select the written portion you want to add from the option of Save Selection to Quick Part Gallery. Select OK and it will be saved in the Quick Part gallery.

Save Selection to Quick Part Gallery

2. AutoText is a pre-made block of text. You can browse from a selection of default AutoText under the option of Quick Parts. You can also make one and add it to the Quick Parts gallery.

Autotext in Quick Parts

3. The Field option displays information that is specific to the current document or page. The information in the field includes the author name, page number, document title, and document date.

Likewise, you can select the properties that meet your requirements. Once done, click on OK to save your choice.

Choosing a field for header

4. With the option of Building Blocks Organizer, you can view and organize different properties of Quick Parts. From the different Building Blocks that are available, you can Edit Properties, Insert, or Delete. Once done, you can click on Close to save your changes.

Building blocks organizer

​​​​How to Create a Branded Header in Word

Now that we've looked at all the options available let's create a branded header for an organization. Using headers and footers in MS Word is important to create that professional document.

1. Double-click on the top of the page to open Header & Footer Tools.

2. To add a Page Number on Top of Page, select a design of your choice.

Adding page number

3. Click on Pictures to insert any graphic. This can be a colorful design or a logo saved in one of the image formats.

adding a picture

4. You can also add a company logo to the header. For our example, let's see how it will look with both images.

header with logo and design

5. Now that your header is ready, you can start creating documents with it. Double-click anywhere below the header area to add the content for the document.

Final document with header

You can use these design skills to create any other document in Microsoft Word. For instance, you can create a certificate template for your school or company or design a custom cover page. Combine a custom cover page with a unique header to make your documents stand apart from others instantly.

Use Headers in Professional Word Documents

Headers are extremely useful when you want to add essential page information to the top of every page on your document. However, if it's still time-consuming or difficult for you, go with a built-in header template.