Cover pages, letters and title pages often need a letterhead or logo on page one and nothing on the rest. Word does this with one checkbox, Different First Page, which gives page one its own separate header and footer.
- Add a header to the first page only
- Keep the other pages blank
- Use different headers on different pages
Adding a header to the first page only
Use this when only page 1 should show a header, such as a letterhead or report title.
- Double-click the top margin of page 1 to open the header. You can also go to Insert > Header > Edit Header.
- On the Header & Footer tab, select Different First Page.
- Type or paste your header content in the First Page Header area.
Result: The header shows on page 1. Microsoft notes that this content won’t appear on later pages in delete the header or footer from the first page.
Note: Different First Page is a toggle. If the box was already ticked, clicking it again turns it off and page 1 shares the main header.
Keeping the other pages blank
Use this when your document already had a header on every page before you turned on Different First Page.
- Scroll to the header on page 2. It is labelled Header, not First Page Header.
- Select everything in it and press Delete.
- Click Close Header and Footer or press Esc.
Result: Page 1 keeps its header and pages 2 onward are blank, as shown at the end of the video.
Tip: The same option works for footers. To hide the page number only on the cover, follow start page numbers from page 2.
Using different headers on different pages
Use this when you need more than two header versions, for example a separate header for each chapter.
Different First Page only covers page 1 of a section. For other pages, split the document into sections:
- Click at the end of the page before the one that needs a new header.
- Go to Layout > Breaks > Next Page.
- Double-click the header on the first page of the new section.
- On the Header & Footer tab, click Link to Previous to turn it off.
- Replace the header text with the new content.
Result: Each section has its own header. Microsoft describes the same steps in change or delete a header or footer on a single page.
Warning: Edit a header while Link to Previous is still on and the change also applies to the previous section. Unlink first.
Comparing the methods
| Method | Best for | Works on |
|---|---|---|
| Different First Page | Header on page 1 only, or no header on page 1 | Windows, Mac, web |
| Delete page 2 header | Making all later pages blank | Windows, Mac, web |
| Next Page break + Link to Previous off | A different header for any page or chapter | Windows, Mac |
Platform differences
- Windows: all steps apply. Different First Page is in the Options group of the Header & Footer tab.
- Mac: the same Header & Footer tab and Different First Page checkbox appear when you double-click the header.
- Word for the web: select Insert > Header & Footer, then Options > Different First Page. Delete the content from the Other Pages header. Word for the web can’t add section breaks, so use Open in Word for per-section headers.
Troubleshooting first-page headers
- The header still shows on page 2: you added it before turning on Different First Page. Delete it from the page 2 header.
- Page 1 header vanished: turning on Different First Page clears page 1. Type the content again in First Page Header.
- A new section’s first page has no header: Different First Page is set per section, and a new section copies it. Clear the box in that section.
- Changing one header changed others: Link to Previous is on. Turn it off in the section that should differ.
- A blank page appeared after adding a section break: see how to delete a blank page in Word.
Section breaks also control orientation, so the same steps help when you make one page landscape in Word. For more header and numbering guides, see the Microsoft Word guides.