/ Adjusting Excel Headers

Adjusting Excel Headers

I have Windows Vista. I’m working in Excel and trying to put a header. I want it to be the same size as my margins that I made. How do I get it that way? Celeste Stewart

Since you have Windows Vista, I’ll assume that you are also working with Excel 2007 so I’ll give you instructions for working with your header using Excel 2007 as an example.

Setting Headers in Excel 2007

In order to create a header in Excel 2007, open your spreadsheet and click on the Insert tab. Find the Header & Footer icon located in the Text section of the Ribbon and click on that. A blank header will be inserted at the top of your spreadsheet. It will have three different sections (one justified to the left, one center justified in the middle, and one justified to the right) where you can then add your desired header information such as title, file name, number of pages, date, and so forth.

You’ll notice that when you are editing the header, a new tab opens on your Ribbon called the Header and Footer Tools tab. In addition, new rulers appear on your screen. You’ll use a combination of these tools and the ruler to fine tune the width of your spreadsheet’s header or footer.

Making Excel’s Headers Match the Margins

First, enter your header text so that we have something visual to see. Next, take a look at the ribbon and find the Options section. See the area labeled Align with Page Margins? Place a check mark in the box there if there isn’t one already in it. This will make the header the same size as the page’s margins!

While it would seem that’s the end of the story, you may need to fine tune the column widths of your spreadsheet to get it to look right. The left side of the header is flush with the left margin and the right side has a slight overhang. Use your mouse and the ruler tool to drag the columns if needed. It looks as though there’s about 1/8″ of overlap on the right that you can’t do much about, even with the Align with Page Margins option selected. Hopefully this is something you can live with.