Add last name and page numbers using the header and footer
The fastest way to put your last name and page number on every page is through Word's header and footer feature. Open your document, then go to the Insert tab at the top. Click Header (on the left side), pick a style, and Word will open a box at the top of your page where you can type. Type your last name, press Tab twice to move to the right side of the header, then click Page Number and choose a format. Close the header by double-clicking in the main document, and both will appear on every page.
If you want the last name on the left and page number on the right, use tabs to space them apart. If you want them on the same line with different formatting — like your last name in regular text and the page number in italics — you can type and format each part separately within the same header box. Word will repeat whatever you put in the header on every page automatically.
Key Takeaways
- Headers and footers are the standard way to add content that repeats on every page, and you access them through the Insert tab.
- You can put your last name and page number on the same line using tabs to position them, or on separate lines if you prefer.
- Once you close the header box by double-clicking the main document, the content appears on all pages without extra steps.
- Different sections of your document can have different headers if you insert a section break, useful for documents with different formatting needs.
Use tabs to position last name and page number on the same line
When you type both your last name and page number in the header, they will bunch up on the left side unless you space them. The easiest way is to use tabs. After you type your last name, press Tab once or twice — each tab moves the cursor to the next tab stop, which Word sets at regular intervals across the page. Then insert the page number, and it will sit where the tab moved it to.
If you want finer control over where the page number lands, you can set custom tab stops. With the header box still open, go to the Home tab, click the small arrow next to Paragraph (bottom right of that group), and select Tabs. Set a tab stop at the right edge of the page — usually around 6 inches for a standard letter-size document — and choose Right alignment so the page number lines up at that point. This keeps the page number consistently positioned on the right no matter how long your last name is.
Put last name and page number in the footer instead of the header
Some documents call for this information at the bottom of the page rather than the top. The process is identical, except you click Footer instead of Header on the Insert tab. Choose a footer style, type your last name, add tabs or set a custom tab stop, then insert the page number. Close by double-clicking the main document, and the footer appears on every page.
You can use both a header and a footer in the same document if you need different information at the top and bottom. For example, you might put your last name in the header and the page number in the footer, or vice versa. Just open the header, add what you want, then open the footer and add something different. Word keeps them separate.
Remove or edit the header and footer later
If you need to change what appears in the header or footer, double-click at the very top or bottom of any page to open the header or footer box again. Edit the text the same way you would in the main document — select and delete, retype, or reformat. When you are done, double-click in the main document to close the box and see the changes on all pages.
To remove the header or footer entirely, open it again, select all the text (Ctrl+A), and delete it. The box will stay empty, and nothing will print or display. If you want to remove it completely so the box does not appear when you open the document later, go to the Insert tab, click Header or Footer, and select Remove Header or Remove Footer.
Use different headers or footers for different sections
Some documents need different headers on different pages — for example, a cover page with no header, or different chapter titles on different pages. To do this, you insert a section break where you want the change to happen. Go to the Layout tab, click Breaks, and choose Next Page. This creates a new section, and you can then edit the header in that section without affecting earlier pages.
When you open the header in a new section, you will see a button that says Link to Previous. If it is pressed (highlighted), the header is the same as the previous section. Click it to unlink the sections, and then you can type a different header for this section only. This is useful for documents where the first page should not have a header, or where different parts need different information.
Format your last name and page number differently
You can make your last name bold, italic, or a different size than the page number. In the header box, select just the last name text, then use the formatting buttons on the Home tab — Bold, Italic, font size, or font color. Then click elsewhere in the header and select the page number to format it differently. Each part keeps its own formatting.
You can also change the font for the entire header. Select all the text in the header (Ctrl+A), then pick a new font from the font dropdown on the Home tab. If you want the page number in a different font than your last name, select just the page number field and change it separately. The page number field is usually shown in gray or brackets when you are editing the header.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my page number showing as a field code instead of a number?
Word sometimes displays page numbers as {PAGE} or similar code instead of the actual number. Right-click on it and select Update Field, or press Ctrl+A to select all and then F9 to update all fields. If this keeps happening, go to File > Options > Advanced, scroll to Show document content, and uncheck Show field codes instead of their values.
Can I start page numbering from a number other than 1?
Yes. Go to the Insert tab, click Page Number, then Format Page Numbers. Choose Start at and enter the number you want. This is useful if your document is part of a longer work or if the first page should not be numbered.
How do I remove the header from just the first page?
Double-click the header to open it, then look for a checkbox that says Different First Page (usually in the Design tab that appears when the header is open). Check this box, and Word will leave the first page header blank while keeping the header on all other pages.
What if my last name and page number are overlapping?
Use a tab stop to push them apart. In the header box, place your cursor between the last name and page number, press Tab, and they will separate. If they still overlap, set a custom right-aligned tab stop at the right edge of the page as described in the tabs section above.
Do headers and footers print when I print the document?
Yes, by default. When you print, headers and footers appear on the printed pages. If you do not want them to print, go to File > Print, click Print Layout or Page Setup (depending on your Word version), and look for an option to hide headers and footers.