Header and Footer Formatting Codes

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated May 2, 2020)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


In the previous tip you learned about the different command codes you can use to insert data in your headers and footers. There are also a number of formatting command codes you can use. These codes, again, begin with an ampersand:

Code Meaning
&L Start left alignment
&C Start center alignment
&R Start right alignment
&"fontname" Change to designated font (quotes are necessary)
&nn Two-digit font size to use, in points
&B Bold (toggle on or off)
&I Italics (toggle on or off)
&U Underline (toggle on or off)
&E Double underline (toggle on or off)
&S Strikethrough (toggle on or off)
&X Superscript (toggle on or off)
&Y Subscript (toggle on or off)

Command codes can be joined together on a line to achieve the desired result. For instance, if you wanted your footer to be a left-aligned, bold, and underlined current date, you would enter &L&B&U&D. You should note that it doesn't matter where you insert this information; the codes override where you enter it. Thus, if these codes were entered in the Center portion of the header or footer, the command codes would still place the date in the left portion, as you directed.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2057) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Selective Formatting in Replacements

Do you need to replace text with a term or phrase that uses multiple formats? You can perform this seemingly complex task ...

Discover More

Updating Multiple PivotTables at Once

PivotTables are a great way to process huge amounts of data and make sense of that data. If you have a number of ...

Discover More

Intelligent Title Case

A common editorial need is to change the capitalization used on different words in a selection of text. Word provides a ...

Discover More

Comprehensive VBA Guide Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is the language used for writing macros in all Office programs. This complete guide shows both professionals and novices how to master VBA in order to customize the entire Office suite for their needs. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2010 today!

More ExcelTips (menu)

Selective Headers and Footers

Want to print different headers or footers on different parts of your worksheet? Excel has no inherent way to do this, ...

Discover More

Leading Zeros in Page Numbers

Page numbers in Excel printouts are typically simple counters, without much chance for embellishment. If you want to add ...

Discover More

Copying Headers and Footers

Need to copy headers and footers from one worksheet to another? How about from one workbook to another? Here are some ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 2 + 2?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


This Site

Got a version of Excel that uses the menu interface (Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, or Excel 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.