How you can Shield Header and Footer Areas in Microsoft Phrase

Headers are an essential a part of many Microsoft Phrase paperwork. As soon as every part’s in place, you may defend the header so nobody can inadvertently mess it up, particularly should you’re collaborating with others in your group.

You’ll be able to defend a doc, however there’s no setting that allows you to defend solely the header and footer whereas persevering with to permit customers to edit the physique of the doc. Fortuitously, you may defend the header and unprotect the physique when mandatory, however the course of isn’t intuitive.

SEE: 5 Methods to Delete a Web page in Phrase (TechRepublic)

On this tutorial, I’ll present you a three-step course of for shielding the header or footer space with out defending the physique of the Phrase doc. I’ll be working within the header, however this system protects each the header and the footer.

I’m utilizing Microsoft 365 on a Home windows 10 64-bit system, however you should utilize earlier variations of Phrase. This text isn’t acceptable for Phrase for the online. Sadly, this answer isn’t one for on-line collaboration, as a result of Phrase for the online gained’t open a doc with enabled safety in any part. You’ll be able to obtain the Microsoft Phrase demo file for this tutorial.

The 1st step: How you can insert a web page break in Phrase

As soon as a doc is in good condition and also you’ve added header content material, you may wish to preserve others from enhancing that part. Doing so is simple, however there’s no quick-click answer. Step one is so as to add a web page break, as follows:

1. Press Ctrl + House to maneuver the cursor to the primary place on web page one of many doc. The break have to be the very first thing within the doc.
2. Click on Present/Disguise within the Paragraph group on the House tab. This step isn’t technically mandatory however exhibiting the web page break image will make issues simpler.
3. Click on the Format tab.
4. Within the Web page Setup group, click on the Breaks dropdown and select Steady.

As you may see within the picture above, the part break is the very first thing on the doc’s first web page, as a result of the cursor was at the start of that web page after we inserted the break. The place of this break permits us to format the header in another way than the physique of the doc.

When you’re not aware of part breaks, they apply to the content material earlier than the break and the one factor earlier than this break is the header space. The following step will assist make clear why that issues.

You could be questioning how this answer may also apply to the footer if the break applies to the content material earlier than the break. Phrase does mean you can enter completely different header and footer content material, however internally, Phrase sees the header and footer as the identical space.

SEE: 6 Greatest Free Alternate options to Microsoft Phrase (TechRepublic)

Step two: How you can defend the doc in Phrase

Our second step might sound a bit counterproductive, however it is going to all come collectively ultimately. Now, we have to defend the complete doc, together with the header, footer, and the physique.

To guard the complete doc, do the next:

1. Click on the File tab after which click on Information within the left pane.
2. Click on Shield Doc and select Limit Modifying from the dropdown. Phrase will return to the doc and show the enhancing choices within the Limit Modifying pane.
3. Verify the second possibility and select No Modifications (Learn Solely) from the dropdown.

At this level, you’ve protected the complete doc: When you stopped proper now, nobody would be capable to edit something. That’s not what we wish. We have to unprotect the physique of the doc.

SEE: How you can Use Part Breaks to Management Formatting in Phrase (TechRepublic)

Step three: How you can unprotect the physique of the doc in Phrase

When you’re not aware of Phrase safety, you could be questioning the place we’re headed as a result of defending every part within the doc wasn’t what we supposed after we set out. We wish to defend the doc’s header however nonetheless be capable to edit the physique of the Phrase doc.

Right here’s the way to unprotect the physique of the doc:

1. Choose every part within the doc however the part header. To take action, place the cursor at the start of the primary line within the doc by urgent Ctrl + House. Then, press Ctrl + Shift + Finish to pick out every part however part break.
2. Within the Limit Modifying pane, verify the Everybody possibility within the Exceptions part.
3. In part three, click on Sure, Begin Implementing Safety.
4. When Phrase prompts you for a password, as proven within the second picture under, enter “pw” twice and click on OK. When making use of this to your individual work, you’ll wish to use a safer password. For demonstration functions, we wish to preserve every part easy.

Search for the opening and shutting brackets at the start and ending, respectively, of the unprotected space. Because the creator, you’ll know the password to the Phrase doc so you may make modifications to the header and footer space. Others can edit the physique of the doc, however not the header and footer space.

This answer isn’t intuitive, and, oddly, Phrase doesn’t provide an possibility for shielding solely the header and footer. Nevertheless, you may nonetheless accomplish that utilizing this simple approach.

This text was initially printed in September 2022. It was up to date by Antony Peyton in January 2025.