Forum Discussion
Section Headers and Footers - 'Same as previous..'
Hi All
Just seeing if anyone has a workaround for section headers and footers issue i'm having....
I have a document that multiple sections, each section has a 'Different First Page Header/Footer' as there are different header images for each section.
The footer is pretty standard across the document - page numbers and specific document info...
My document has..... (for example)
Section 1: First Page Header/Footer (page 1)
Section 1: (pages, 2, 3, 4, 5)
Section 2: First Page Header/Footer (page 6)
Section 2: (pages 7, 8, 9,10)
and so on....
If i try 'Same as Previous' on 'Section 2 First Page' footer (page 6) it takes the footer text from 'Section 1 First Page', rather than Section 1: Page 5
If i try 'Same as Previous' on 'Section 2: Page 7' footer, it takes text from Section 1: Page 2, rather than Section 2: First Page: page 6
Is there any way of just making the footer continuous across the whole document? without changing the header which is different for each section.??
At the moment i'm having to edit each footer for each section which can be tiresome at best.
Anyway, hope that makes sence
Thanks for your help in advance.
J
This happens because Word treats headers and footers separately for each section, and when you have “Different First Page” turned on, it links first-page headers and footers only to other first pages, not to the main ones that follow. To fix it, you can unlink just the headers but keep the footers connected. Open the footer in one of your later sections, go to the Header & Footer tab, and make sure “Link to Previous” is turned on for the footer but off for the header. This way, each section can have its own unique first-page header image, while your footer (with page numbers and document info) stays continuous across all sections. Once linked properly, any changes you make to one footer will update everywhere, saving you from having to edit each section manually.
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Don't forget to mark as solution if my answer suits you
3 Replies
There are six separate "link to previous" settings in each Word section after the first. One each for each of the headers and footers available. They link to the same type of header/footer in the previous section.
The Different First Page setting applies to both the header and footer. To have the footer be the same as on pages after the first, the content from one must be copied into the other.
See:
- Header/Footer Settings Recap
- Quick Reference Guide for Headers, Footers and Page Numbers
- Link to Previous
- Different First Page
When you have different first page set in a section and then create a new section while in that section, the new section inherits this setting.
This happens because Word treats headers and footers separately for each section, and when you have “Different First Page” turned on, it links first-page headers and footers only to other first pages, not to the main ones that follow. To fix it, you can unlink just the headers but keep the footers connected. Open the footer in one of your later sections, go to the Header & Footer tab, and make sure “Link to Previous” is turned on for the footer but off for the header. This way, each section can have its own unique first-page header image, while your footer (with page numbers and document info) stays continuous across all sections. Once linked properly, any changes you make to one footer will update everywhere, saving you from having to edit each section manually.
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Don't forget to mark as solution if my answer suits youThanks Charles, that makes sense. 👍
