Use headers, footers, page numbers & footnotes

You can use footnotes to add references in your Google Doc. In documents that are in pages format, you can add page numbers, and you can also include headers and footers to add content to every page in the document.

Add headers and footers

On your computer, open a document in Google Docs.
At the top left, click Insert Header and page number.
Choose Header or Footer.
Enter text for the header or footer.

Important: This feature isn’t available in documents that are in pageless format. If your document already includes headers or footers and you switch it to pageless format, you won't see the headers and footers in your document anymore. To use and see headers and footers, make sure your document is in pages format.

Use different headers or footers per page or section

Click a header or footer.
To choose your header and footer layout, tick the box:
- Different first page: Use different headers and footers on the first page of the document or section. Learn how to add a section break.
- Link to previous: Untick if you want to use a different header or footer for that section. If you don't find this option, add a section break. Learn how to add a section break.

Use different headers or footers on odd or even pages

Click a header or footer.
At the right, click Options.
Under 'Apply to', click Whole document.
- Tip: If you don't find this option, add a section break. Learn how to add a section break.
Click Different odd and even Apply.

Remove a header or footer

On your computer, open a document in Google Docs.
Double-click on the header or footer you want to remove.
On the right, click Options Remove header or Remove footer.

Change or remove header and footer margins

You can set different header or footer margins for each section of your document or the entire document.

On your computer, open a document in Google Docs.
Click in a header or footer.
At the top left, click Format Headers and footers More options.
Under 'Apply to', chose a section or the entire document. If you don't find this option, add a section break. Learn how to add a section break.
Enter your margin sizes.
Click Apply.

Tip: To remove header or footer space, change your margin size to 0.

Insert page numbers and total page count

You can add page numbers and the number of total pages to an entire document or a document section.

Important: This feature isn’t available in documents that are in pageless format. To use this feature, make sure your document is in pages format.

Open a document in Google Docs.
At the top left, click Insert Header & page number.
Then choose:
- Page number: Choose where you want the page numbers to go and whether you want the first page to be skipped.
- Page count: The page count will be added wherever your cursor is placed in the document.

The page numbers or page count will be added automatically.

Start page numbering on a specific page or section

Open a Google Doc.
In the top left, click Insert Page number More options.
Under "Apply to," choose where you want to apply the page number change.
- Tip: If you don't find this option, add a section break. Learn how to add a section break.
Click Apply.

Add a footnote

Open a document in Google Docs.
Click where you want to insert a footnote.
At the top left, click Insert Footnote.
Type your footnote.

Tip: If your document is in pageless format, footnotes will all appear together at the end of your document.