Editing a header in Excel is a straightforward process that allows you to customize the top margin of your printed worksheets with important information like page numbers, dates, or titles.
Step-by-Step Guide to Editing a Header
To modify an existing header or add new header text, follow these simple steps:
- Navigate to the Insert Tab: Open your Excel workbook and click on the Insert tab in the Ribbon at the top of the Excel window.
- Access Header & Footer Tools: In the "Text" group of the Insert tab, click on the Header & Footer option.
- Excel will automatically switch your worksheet view to Page Layout view, which is essential for seeing and editing headers and footers directly on the page.
- Select the Header Section: At the very top of your worksheet page, you will see three distinct boxes: a left header section, a center header section, and a right header section. These appear directly "under Header" when you are in Page Layout view.
- Click inside the specific header text box (left, center, or right) where you wish to add or edit text.
- Type or Modify Text: Once your cursor is inside the desired header section, you can:
- Type new text directly.
- Edit existing text by deleting, adding, or changing characters.
- Add Dynamic Elements (Optional): While in the Header & Footer tools, a new Header & Footer Design tab appears. This tab offers various options to insert dynamic elements into your header, such as:
- Page Number: Automatically inserts the current page number.
- Number of Pages: Inserts the total number of pages.
- Current Date: Inserts the current date.
- Current Time: Inserts the current time.
- File Path: Inserts the full path of your Excel file.
- File Name: Inserts just the name of your Excel file.
- Sheet Name: Inserts the name of the current worksheet tab.
- Picture: Allows you to insert an image (e.g., a company logo) into your header.
Simply click on the desired option, and Excel will insert a placeholder code (e.g.,&[Page],&[Date]) which will display the actual value when you exit the header editing mode.
- Exit Header Editing Mode: To return to your normal worksheet view and see the changes applied, simply click anywhere outside the header area on the worksheet, or switch back to "Normal" view from the "View" tab.
Practical Tips for Excel Headers
- View Modes: Remember that headers are only visible and editable in Page Layout view or Print Preview. In Normal view, you won't see them on the worksheet itself.
- Formatting Text: You can format the text within your header (font, size, color, bold, italics) using the standard formatting options on the Home tab, just as you would with any other text in Excel.
- Removing a Header: To remove header content, simply select the text in the header section and delete it. You can also go to the Header & Footer Design tab and look for options to clear specific sections or the entire header.
