Word applies one header to every page in a section, so you cannot simply delete it from page 2 alone. The fix depends on what you want. To keep the header on page 1 and remove it from page 2 onward, turn on Different First Page and then delete the header on page 2. To remove the header from page 2 only while keeping it on page 3 and later, insert Next Page section breaks around page 2 and turn off Link to Previous.
Both methods are built into Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows and Mac and take about a minute once you know where the buttons are.
Quick Answer
- Double-click the header on page 1 to open the Header & Footer tab.
- Select Different First Page. Page 1 now has its own separate header slot.
- Put the header you want on page 1 (paste it back in if it disappeared).
- Scroll to page 2, click in its header and delete the content.
- Select Close Header and Footer or press Esc.
In This Guide
- Before You Start: How Word Headers Work
- Method 1: Keep the Header on Page 1 Only (Different First Page)
- Method 2: Remove the Header From Page 2 Only (Section Breaks)
- Word for Mac and Word for the Web
- Related: Remove Headers From the Whole Document
- Which Method Should You Use?
- Troubleshooting
- Frequently Asked Questions
Before You Start: How Word Headers Work
This guide covers Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows and Mac, plus notes for Word for the web, as of September 2026. Recent standalone versions such as Word 2021 and 2024 use the same button names. You need permission to edit the document.
Three ideas explain almost every header problem:
- Sections: a section is a part of a document with its own page layout settings, including headers and footers. A new document has one section, which is why a header you type on page 1 shows up on every page.
- Different First Page: a setting that gives the first page of a section its own header, separate from the rest of that section.
- Link to Previous: when a document has more than one section, each section’s header is linked to the one before it by default, so they show the same content. Turning the link off lets you change or delete one section’s header without touching the others.
It also helps to see where section breaks are. On the Home tab, select the Show/Hide button (the paragraph mark icon) to display formatting marks. Section breaks then appear as a dotted line labeled, for example, “Section Break (Next Page)”.
Tip: save a copy of the document before changing sections in a long file, so you can go back if the layout shifts.
Method 1: Keep the Header on Page 1 Only (Different First Page)
Use this method when you want a header (for example, a letterhead, title or invoice details) on the first page and no header from page 2 onward. It is the simplest fix and does not need section breaks. Microsoft describes the setting in Use a different header on the first page.
- Open the document and go to page 1.
- If you need to keep the page 1 header text, select it and press Ctrl + C to copy it first. Turning on Different First Page removes the existing content from page 1.
- Double-click the header area at the top of page 1. Expected result: the header opens for editing and the Header & Footer tab appears on the ribbon.
- On the Header & Footer tab, select Different First Page so it is checked. It is a toggle, so make sure you are turning it on, not off. Expected result: the page 1 header is labeled “First Page Header” and is now empty.
- Click in the First Page Header and press Ctrl + V to paste the header back, or type the text you want on page 1.
- Scroll down to page 2 and click inside its header. It is labeled “Header” and still contains the original content.
- Select all of the page 2 header content and press Delete. Expected result: the header disappears from page 2 and every later page in the section, while page 1 keeps its header.
- Select Close Header and Footer or press Esc.
If you want a different header on page 2 onward rather than none, type the new content in the page 2 header instead of leaving it empty. Footers work the same way: Different First Page applies to both the header and footer of that section, so check the footer on page 2 as well.
If you already built a custom header and want to adjust its design, see how to insert a custom header or footer in Microsoft Word.
Method 2: Remove the Header From Page 2 Only (Section Breaks)
Use this method when page 2 should have no header but pages 1 and 3 onward should keep it, for example when page 2 holds a full-page image, a landscape table or a cover letter insert. You split page 2 into its own section and unlink it. This follows Microsoft’s steps in Change or delete a header or footer on a single page.
Important: section breaks are different from page breaks. If page 2 currently starts with a manual page break (inserted with Ctrl + Enter or Insert > Page Break), delete that page break first and replace it with a section break, or you may end up with an extra blank page.
Step A: Put page 2 in its own section
- Click at the very start of page 2 (the beginning of its first line).
- Go to Layout > Breaks > Next Page. Expected result: page 2 now begins section 2. With formatting marks shown, you see “Section Break (Next Page)” at the end of page 1.
- Click at the very start of page 3.
- Go to Layout > Breaks > Next Page again. Expected result: page 3 now begins section 3.
Step B: Unlink the sections
- Double-click the header on page 3 (section 3). On the Header & Footer tab, select Link to Previous so it is turned off. Expected result: the “Same as Previous” label on the right side of the header disappears.
- Double-click the header on page 2 (section 2). Select Link to Previous so it is turned off here too.
Why the order matters: unlink section 3 before you delete anything. If section 3 is still linked to section 2 when you empty the page 2 header, Word empties the page 3 header (and every later page) too.
Step C: Delete the header from page 2
- With the page 2 header still open, go to Header on the Header & Footer tab and choose Remove Header, or select the header content and press Delete. Expected result: page 2 has no header; pages 1 and 3 keep theirs.
- If page 2 should also have no footer, double-click the footer on page 2 and repeat Step B and Step C for the footer (Link to Previous is set separately for headers and footers).
- Select Close Header and Footer or press Esc.
If page numbers are in the header or footer, check that they still continue correctly on page 3. Unlinking does not normally restart numbering, but a section break can if the page number format is set to start at a specific number.
For a deeper look at how linked and unlinked sections behave, see how to link sections in Word.
Word for Mac and Word for the Web
Word for Mac
Word for Microsoft 365 for Mac uses the same approach. Double-click the header to open the Header & Footer tab, where you will find Different First Page and Link to Previous. Section breaks are under Layout > Breaks > Section Break (Next Page); the exact label can vary slightly by version. Use Command instead of Ctrl for copy and paste.
Word for the web
Microsoft lists Word for the web as supporting Different First Page, so Method 1 generally works in the browser: double-click the header on page 1 and select Different First Page, then delete the page 2 header. Some versions place this option under an Options menu in the header area. Section breaks and Link to Previous are more limited in the browser, so for Method 2 open the file in the Word desktop app (the browser version usually offers an option to open in the desktop app; the label can vary) and make the change there.
Related: Remove Headers From the Whole Document
If you actually want no header anywhere, you do not need sections at all.
- Go to Insert > Header.
- Choose Remove Header at the bottom of the menu. Expected result: the header is removed from the current section.
- If the document has several sections with unlinked headers, repeat this in each section.
Word’s Inspect Document tool (File > Info > Check for Issues) may also offer to remove all headers and footers from the whole file in one go. It removes every one of them, so save a copy first and use it with care.
Which Method Should You Use?
| What you want | Best method | Section breaks needed? |
|---|---|---|
| Header on page 1 only | Different First Page, then delete the page 2 header | No |
| Different header on page 1 than on the rest | Different First Page, then edit the page 2 header | No |
| No header on page 2, but header on pages 1 and 3 onward | Section breaks before and after page 2 plus Link to Previous off | Yes, two |
| No header on page 1, header from page 2 onward | Different First Page, leave the first page header empty | No |
| No header on any even page | Different Odd & Even Pages, leave the even header empty | No |
| No header anywhere | Insert > Header > Remove Header | No |
When in doubt, start with Different First Page. Only add section breaks if you need the header to come back after page 2.
Troubleshooting
Deleting the page 2 header removed it from page 1 too
Different First Page was not turned on, so page 1 and page 2 shared the same header. Press Ctrl + Z to undo, then follow Method 1 from the start.
The header disappeared from page 3 and later pages
Section 3 was still linked to section 2. Undo, or open the page 3 header, turn off Link to Previous, and paste the header back in. Then check page 2 again.
Page 2 shows a different header than expected
The document may use Different Odd & Even Pages. Page 2 is an even page, so it uses the “Even Page Header”, which is separate from the odd page header. Edit or clear the even page header, or turn the option off on the Header & Footer tab. Microsoft explains this in Create different headers or footers for odd and even pages.
A blank page appeared after adding a section break
A manual page break is probably sitting next to the new section break. Show formatting marks with Show/Hide, then delete the extra “Page Break” line. For help deleting unwanted breaks, see how to delete a Next Page section break in Word.
Link to Previous is grayed out
You are in the first section of the document, which has nothing before it to link to. Click in the header of a later section instead.
The header area still takes up space on page 2
An empty header still reserves its margin. That is normal. If you need the space, you can reduce the header margin for that section under Layout > Margins > Custom Margins, but this changes the page layout.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does deleting a header on one page delete it everywhere?
Headers belong to sections, not to individual pages. Every page in a section shares the same header unless Different First Page or Different Odd & Even Pages splits it.
Do I need section breaks to remove the header from page 2?
Only if you want the header to return on page 3 or later. To remove it from page 2 onward, Different First Page is enough.
What is the difference between a page break and a section break?
A page break only starts a new page. A Next Page section break starts a new page and a new section, which can have its own headers, footers, margins and orientation.
Will this affect my footer and page numbers?
Different First Page affects both the header and footer of the first page. Link to Previous is set separately for headers and footers. Page numbers normally continue across sections, but check them after adding breaks.
Can I do this on my phone?
The Word mobile apps offer limited header options. For section breaks and Link to Previous, use Word on a Windows PC or Mac.
How do I put the header back on page 2 later?
For Method 1, turn off Different First Page or type the header into page 2 again. For Method 2, open the page 2 header and turn Link to Previous back on; Word may ask whether to replace the header with the previous section’s content.
Summary
- Headers are shared by every page in a section, so page 2 needs its own header slot or section.
- For a header on page 1 only, turn on Different First Page and delete the page 2 header.
- For no header on page 2 only, add Next Page section breaks before pages 2 and 3.
- Turn off Link to Previous in section 3 first, then in section 2, before deleting.
- Check the footer, page numbers and odd/even settings afterward.
Next step: turn on Show/Hide formatting marks in your document now so you can see exactly where each section starts before you change any header.
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.