How to Delete a Header in Word (All Pages, First or One Page)

Headers are brilliant until you inherit a document full of somebody else's. An old company name at the top of every page, a draft label nobody removed, a logo on the cover where it shouldn't be. Getting rid of them is easy once you know which of three situations you're in.

You might want the header gone from the whole document, just from the first page, or from one page in the middle. Word treats each of those differently, and that's why the obvious fix sometimes only half works. I'll start with the quickest one.

Deleting the header from a whole Word document

Microsoft gives the same route for Word on Windows, Mac and the web.

1. Go to the Insert tab.
2. Select Header.
3. Choose Remove Header at the bottom of the menu.

Need the footer gone as well? Do the same under Footer and choose Remove Footer. If anything's still sitting at the top of some pages afterwards, the document almost certainly has more than one section. Microsoft says to repeat the process for each section, so click into a page further down where the header remains and run it again.

Deleting the header from just the first page in Word

This is the one I use most, for proposals and reports where the cover page should look clean but the rest needs a header. You don't delete anything. You tell Word that page one is different.

On Windows or a Mac

1. Double-click inside the header area at the top of the page.
2. On the Header and Footer tab, tick Different First Page.
3. Delete anything still showing in the first page header.
4. Select Close Header and Footer, or press Esc.

In Word for the web

1. Select Insert, then Header and Footer.
2. At the top of the document, choose Options, then Different First Page.
3. Delete any content in the first page header.
4. Click outside the header area to finish.

Microsoft points out that Different First Page is a toggle. If your header's still on page one, check the box hasn't been switched back off.

Deleting the header from one page in the middle of a Word document

Headers belong to sections, not pages, so to strip one page you need to give it its own section first. Microsoft's method goes like this:

1. Click at the start of the page where you want the header to disappear.
2. Go to Layout, then Breaks, and choose Next Page to insert a section break.
3. Double-click the header area on that page.
4. Select Link to Previous so it's turned off. This stops the new section copying the header from the one before.
5. Open the Header menu and choose Remove Header.

If the pages after it need their header back, add another section break after the page, turn off Link to Previous there too, and add the header again. Microsoft notes that Link to Previous stays dimmed until a section break exists, so if it's greyed out, the break didn't go in.

Section breaks can create odd blank pages if you place them in the wrong spot. If that happens, my guide to removing a page break in Word shows how to see the hidden breaks and delete the right one.

Which Word header fix you need

What you want	Where to go	Watch out for
No header anywhere	Insert, Header, Remove Header	Repeat in each section
Clean cover page only	Different First Page	It's a toggle, so check it's on
One page without a header	Section break, then Link to Previous off	The link must be off before you remove it

Why a deleted Word header keeps coming back

• It returns on later pages. The document has several sections. Remove the header in each one.
• Removing it on one page wipes it from all pages. Link to Previous was still on, so the sections were joined. Undo, turn the link off, then remove it.
• A logo stays put. Some templates place an image behind the text that's anchored in the header. Open the header and select the image there to delete it.
• A big gap is left at the top. The header's gone but the page margins haven't changed. My walkthrough on changing margins in Word covers tightening that space.
• The first page header won't go. Check Different First Page is ticked, then delete what's left in the first page header.

Cleaning up Word headers before you send a document

Before a document goes to a client, scroll through every page in Print Layout and look at the top margin. It's the stray header from an old version that makes a document look reused. I'd also check the footer while you're there, because the same section rules apply and old page numbers or file names often hide down there. A tidy header is a small detail, but it's part of looking professional.

If you reuse the same document again and again, like a letterhead or a quote form, fix the header once in the master copy rather than deleting it from every new file. That way the clean version is the one you start from each time, and you won't be hunting through sections on a deadline. When several people edit the same file, ask them to leave the header area alone, because one accidental change to a linked section spreads to every page that follows it.

Frequently asked questions

How do I delete a header in Word completely?

Go to Insert, Header, and choose Remove Header. If the document has several sections, repeat it in each one, as Microsoft advises.

How do I remove the header from only the first page?

Double-click the header, tick Different First Page, delete anything left on page one, then close the header. In Word for the web, the setting is under Options.

Why is Link to Previous greyed out?

Microsoft says it stays dimmed until there's a section break. Insert one with Layout, Breaks, Next Page, and the option becomes available.

Why does removing the header on one page delete it everywhere?

Because the sections are still linked. Turn off Link to Previous in the section you're changing before choosing Remove Header.

Can I remove a header in Word for the web?

Yes. Microsoft lists the same Insert, Header, Remove Header route for the web, and Different First Page sits under Options.