If a Word header or footer is missing from a printout, first open File > Print and check the affected page in print preview. If it is missing there, look at that page’s header or footer variant and section settings. If it appears in preview but not on paper, check whether it is too close to the printer’s nonprintable edge.
Start by checking the affected page in print preview
In Word for Windows, select File > Print. Find the page where the header or footer is missing, then compare it with the pages immediately before and after it. Preview helps distinguish a document-layout problem from content that Word displays but the printer does not reproduce.
- Missing in preview: check which header or footer applies to that page, whether its section has the content, and whether a graphic-printing option is relevant.
- Visible in preview but missing or cut off on paper: check the top or bottom margin and the printer’s printable area.
- Failure across documents or apps: check the selected printer and its settings, then test the printer outside Word.
These steps apply to Word for Microsoft 365 and the listed Windows versions of Word 2024, 2021, 2019, and 2016; labels may vary slightly by release. Microsoft’s Word printing instructions describe the File > Print view.
If the header or footer is missing in preview
Check the page’s first-page or odd/even variant
Word can use separate header and footer areas for the first page and for odd- and even-numbered pages. Content entered in one area does not automatically appear in the others. Open the header or footer on the affected page and confirm that you are editing the variant used by that page. Also check whether Different First Page or Different Odd & Even Pages is enabled.
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For example, if the first page has a distinct header, adding a title to the regular header may leave the first page’s header blank. Likewise, an even page may use a different header from the odd page before it. Microsoft explains header and footer options.
Check the section that contains the affected page
Section breaks allow different parts of a document to have independent headers and footers. Go to the page that prints incorrectly, open its header or footer, and verify that the content is present in that section’s applicable first-page, odd-page, or even-page area.
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Word links matching header and footer types across sections by default. The Link to Previous control applies to the matching type; first-page and odd/even headers and footers link separately. If you intend the section to reuse the prior section’s content, confirm that the relevant type is linked. If it should be independent, add or correct the content in the affected section instead. Microsoft’s section-link guidance describes how these links work.
If the header or footer is a shape or text box, check Print drawings
This setting matters for drawing objects such as shapes and text boxes, not ordinary text. In Word, open File > Options > Display. Under Printing options, select Print drawings created in Word if it is cleared, then check print preview again. Microsoft notes that when this option is off, Word substitutes blank boxes for drawing objects. See Microsoft’s explanation of printing Word drawings.
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If preview looks right but the printout is clipped
When content appears in preview but is missing near the top or bottom of the paper, it may sit outside the printer’s printable area. Increase the corresponding page margin so the header or footer is farther from the paper edge, then print the affected page again. Check the printer manufacturer’s minimum-margin specifications for the selected paper size.
Microsoft identifies the printer’s minimum margin as the usual reason page borders fail to print; the same physical limit can affect header or footer content placed close to an edge. Read Microsoft’s explanation of printer minimum margins. Its older margin article refers to Word 2007 and earlier for interface steps, so use it for the printable-area explanation rather than its obsolete navigation instructions.
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Determine whether the problem is in Word or the printer
If changing the document’s header, footer, or margins does not help, compare the output across files and applications. This narrows the problem before you change printer or Office settings.
- Verify the print job: in File > Print, confirm the intended printer, page size, orientation, and page range.
- Print another Word document: if its header and footer print correctly, focus on the affected document’s sections, variants, or possible file damage.
- Print from another application: if other apps also fail, the issue is less likely to be limited to the Word document.
- Print a Windows test page: if the test page fails too, investigate the printer, driver, or Windows printing services rather than Word’s header settings.
Microsoft’s Windows printer troubleshooting guidance covers Windows 10 and Windows 11. It notes that Windows 10 support ended on October 14, 2025.
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What to do when only one document fails
If other Word files and applications print normally, compare the affected file with a clean document. Check its section breaks and the header or footer assigned to the affected page. If the expected content is present in the correct area but the document still behaves differently, the file itself may be damaged. Microsoft lists app settings, corrupted files, Office files, drivers, and Windows printing services among the areas to investigate when Word output fails. Its guidance includes repairing Office, restarting Print Spooler, and updating or reinstalling printer drivers; use those broader fixes only after the comparisons above point beyond a single page setting. See Microsoft’s Word printing troubleshooting steps.
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