To remove a footer from every page in Microsoft Word, double-click the footer, then on the Header & Footer tab click Footer > Remove Footer. To remove the footer from only one section, put your cursor in the first page of that section, double-click its footer, click Link to Previous to turn it off, and then delete the footer’s contents. Without turning off Link to Previous, deleting the footer in one section deletes it everywhere it’s linked.
Below are the steps for each situation, including removing the footer from the first page only and getting rid of the empty space a footer leaves behind.
Remove the footer from the whole document
- Double-click in the footer area at the bottom of any page.
- On the Header & Footer tab, click Footer.
- Click Remove Footer.
- If your document has several sections with different footers, repeat in each section.
You can also go to Insert > Footer > Remove Footer without opening the footer first.
Remove the footer from one section only
- Make sure the section starts with a section break. If not, click where it should begin and choose Layout > Breaks > Next Page.
- Double-click the footer on the first page of the section you want to change.
- On the Header & Footer tab, click Link to Previous so it’s no longer highlighted.
- Delete the footer text, or click Footer > Remove Footer.
- If the following section should keep its footer, go to that section’s footer and make sure it still has the right content. Turn off Link to Previous there too if needed.
The footer label shows which section you’re in, such as Footer -Section 2-. For more on sections, see how to create sections in Word.
Remove the footer from the first page only
- Double-click the footer on page one.
- On the Header & Footer tab, check Different First Page.
- Leave the first page’s footer empty. The other pages keep theirs.
Remove leftover footer space
Removing a footer doesn’t change the bottom margin. To reduce the space:
- Double-click the footer.
- On the Header & Footer tab, lower Footer from Bottom (in the Position group).
- Reduce the bottom margin in Layout > Margins > Custom Margins if needed.
Remove unwanted section breaks
If you created extra sections by accident and want one footer throughout, turn on ΒΆ (Home tab, or Ctrl + Shift + 8), click just before a Section Break line, and press Delete. The section before the break takes on the formatting of the one after it.
Troubleshooting
- Deleting one footer removed all of them. Link to Previous was on. Press Ctrl + Z, turn off Link to Previous, and try again.
- A footer line or border remains. Select the empty footer paragraph, go to Home > Borders > No Border.
- Page numbers are still there. Click Page Number > Remove Page Numbers.
- The footer is in a text box or table. Click its border and press Delete.
Frequently asked questions
Can I remove the footer in Word for the web?
Yes. Click Insert > Header & Footer, click in the footer, and delete its contents. Section-by-section control works best in the desktop app.
Is removing a footer the same as removing the header?
It works the same way. Use Header > Remove Header for headers.
Will removing the footer change my page count?
It might, if you also reduce margins, since more text can fit on each page.
Kermit Matthews is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with more than a decade of experience writing technology guides. He has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Computer Science and has spent much of his professional career in IT management.
He specializes in writing content about iPhones, Android devices, Microsoft Office, and many other popular applications and devices.