The short version: Canva, Adobe Express, Microsoft Create, Word and Google Docs all give you free letterhead templates in 2026, and Adobe Express alone lists more than thirteen hundred. If you run a UK limited company, your letterhead also has to show a few legal details that most templates leave out.
A letterhead looks like a small thing until you send a quote, a contract or a formal letter on plain paper and realise how much it says about you. A good one makes a one-person business look settled and trustworthy. The free templates are excellent now, but they're designed to look good, not to tick legal boxes, so you'll need to add those yourself.
Five places to get letterhead templates
In no particular order:
- Canva: best for modern, brand-led designs you personalise with drag and drop.
- Adobe Express: best for the biggest dedicated letterhead range in one place.
- Microsoft Create: best if your letters are written and saved in Word.
- Word: best for a letterhead built into a reusable document you open every day.
- Google Docs: best for teams who share and edit letters in the browser.
Letterhead sources side by side
| Source | Best for | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Canva | Modern brand designs | Describes its letterhead templates as free to personalise |
| Adobe Express | Range | Lists 1,378 letterhead templates, free to use |
| Microsoft Create | Word users | Opens in the Microsoft apps |
| Word | Daily letters | Save it once as your own template |
| Google Docs | Shared editing | Easy for several people to use the same layout |
Whatever you choose, save the finished design as your own template file, so nobody retypes the address on the next letter.
Canva and Adobe Express for letterheads
Canva describes its range as free letterhead templates you can personalise to your brand with drag-and-drop tools. That's the right way to think about them: the template gives you balance and spacing, and you drop in your logo, colours and contact details. Its content licence is worth a glance too. It says Canva grants no rights for trademarks or logos shown in its free content, so don't keep any sample logo that came with the design.
Adobe Express lists 1,378 letterhead templates and says they're free to use with no card details. It makes the point that a professional letterhead helps keep every official communication consistent, which is exactly why it's worth an hour of your time. Once you've finished, download a PDF for emailing and a high-quality file for printing.
The legal details UK limited companies must show
Here's the part almost every template misses. GOV.UK says a limited company must include its name on all company documents, publicity and letters. On business letters, order forms and websites, it must also show the company's registered number, its registered office address, where it's registered (England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland) and the fact that it's a limited company, usually by using its full name with Limited or Ltd.
Two more rules catch people out. If you want to include directors' names, you must list all of them, not just one. And if you choose to show your share capital, GOV.UK says you must also show how much of it shareholders own. Some other business documents have their own separate rules, so don't assume your letterhead layout covers those.
The easiest fix is a small line of text in the footer of your letterhead with the registered number, registered office and place of registration. It takes up very little space and saves you from a letter that looks lovely but isn't compliant.
How to set up your letterhead
- Choose a simple template with space at the top for your logo and at the bottom for legal details.
- Replace any sample logo or brand with your own, and match your brand colours.
- Add your contact details: address, phone, email and website.
- For a UK limited company, add the registered number, registered office and place of registration.
- Save it as a reusable template in Word, Google Docs or Canva.
- Print a test page to check margins, then save a PDF version for email.
Small details that make it look sorted
Once the legal line is in, look at the rest of the page with a customer's eyes. Keep your logo modest; a letterhead that shouts makes the letter underneath feel like an advert. Use the same font in your letters as in the header, so the page reads as one piece. Leave a generous margin at the bottom for the footer details and page numbers on longer letters. If you send most letters by email, check the PDF on a phone screen too, because that's where a lot of clients will open it. And keep one plain version without colour backgrounds, which prints cleanly on any office printer and looks better when it's scanned or copied.
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Building a consistent brand
Your letterhead should look like it belongs with everything else you send. If you use Canva, my guide to adding fonts to Canva helps you match your brand type, and my Canva review covers what the free plan handles well. For the wider picture, see these small business marketing ideas.
My verdict: pick a clean template from Canva or Adobe Express, add your own logo, and put the legal line in the footer before you save it. It's ten extra minutes that make your paperwork look as sorted as your business is.
Run a free letterhead template site that belongs on this list? See how to get it featured.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I get free letterhead templates?
Canva and Adobe Express both offer free letterhead templates, with Adobe Express listing 1,378 designs. Microsoft Create, Word and Google Docs are good if you prefer office apps.
What must a UK company show on its letterhead?
GOV.UK says business letters must show the company's registered number, registered office address, where it's registered and that it's a limited company, as well as the company name.
Must I list directors on my letterhead?
No, but if you include directors' names you must list all of them, according to GOV.UK.
Can I keep the logo that comes with a free template?
No. Canva says it grants no rights for trademarks or logos shown in its free content, so replace any sample logo with your own.
Should I save my letterhead as a PDF or a template?
Both. Save a reusable template for writing letters and a PDF for emailing finished documents.
