Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated November 10, 2021)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
Excel allows you to add footers to your spreadsheet. Footers are nothing more than repeating text that appears at the bottom of every page of your printed spreadsheet. The beauty of footers is that they only have to be defined once, and then Excel places them on your printed pages automatically. To define a page footer, do the following:

Figure 1. The Header/Footer tab of the Page Setup dialog box.
If you don't like any of the predefined footers in Excel, or if you have special footer needs, you can create a custom footer. You do that by following these steps:

Figure 2. The Footer dialog box.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2694) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003.
Create Custom Apps with VBA! Discover how to extend the capabilities of Office 365 applications with VBA programming. Written in clear terms and understandable language, the book includes systematic tutorials and contains both intermediate and advanced content for experienced VB developers. Designed to be comprehensive, the book addresses not just one Office application, but the entire Office suite. Check out Mastering VBA for Microsoft Office 365 today!
When adding headers or footers to your worksheets, you may want to include the date that the workbook was last edited. ...
Discover MoreEach new Excel worksheet contains a page header, by default. Follow this tip to get rid of headers you don't need.
Discover MoreWant to add some color to the printing of your page headers and footers? Your options are limited, as disclosed in this tip.
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)
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.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2026 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments