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An image in the footer of a Word for Mac document keeps disappearing

Anonymous
2024-01-09T02:51:11+00:00

I have images in the header and footer of a Word for Mac document, both of which have been set to display smaller than full resolution. The header is just an image. The footer is an image and, underneath the image, a short line of text. The header and footer display just fine until I close the document and re-open, at which point the image in the footer disappears.

I have googled the problem and found plenty of discussion about the "White space between text" option. However, this is not a situation where the header and footer both disappear in their entirety. The header reappears just as it should. And only the image is missing from the footer. The text underneath it is persistent. Toggling the "White space between text" checkbox off and then on again causes the footer image to re-appear, but this workaround doesn't help if I'm sharing the document with someone who doesn't know the image is missing in the first place. This document is supposed to function as letterhead. The footer image does appear if printed as a PDF, even if it isn't showing in the Word document.

There's more. The header and footer are set up to only appear on the first page. And because this document is intended to be used as letterhead, I have put a continuous section divider just below the header. This creates Section 1, the header and footer, and Section 2, the body of the document. To protect the header and footer from change, I have used the Protect Document functionality to prevent changes to Section 1 but allow changes to Section 2. The protection function has worked as expected but I have discovered that if I disable it, then the footer image no longer disappears. If I were the only person using this document, I would leave protection off and call it good, but I have no desire to let employees monkey around with the header and footer of company letterhead.

Any ideas? Word processing software is not my thing, so user error is a likely explanation. I just can't figure out what I'm doing wrong. Thanks.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | Other | MacOS

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  1. Charles Kenyon 167.2K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2024-01-15T04:16:41+00:00

    In that case, you really need to read the following as well:

    No Copies - No Editing

    The bottom line is that if someone can see it, they can edit it, if they are willing to work to do it.

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  2. Anonymous
    2024-01-12T19:36:15+00:00

    Thanks for taking the time to respond, Charles. I have to admit that I'm at a loss. This is a simple, one-page document with an image in the header area, and an image and a line of text in the footer area. I put a continuous section break at the top of the page, under the header, so that I could "lock" the letterhead. This shouldn't be so hard.

    I've unprotected the document—though doing so eliminates the problem in my experience.

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  3. Anonymous
    2024-01-12T18:45:49+00:00

    Are you still with me, George? I uploaded the sample file you requested.

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  4. Anonymous
    2024-01-10T00:05:58+00:00

    Hey George,

    Thanks for the response. I've created a sample letterhead that demonstrates the same behavior. It can be accessed at this link: https://1drv.ms/w/s!AtIPWc9b048dhNliotQig--6sALAXQ?e=gKGsiW

    The footer image shows when the letterhead file is opened online but disappears when opened locally with the Word for Mac desktop app.

    Tim

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  5. Anonymous
    2024-01-09T13:05:07+00:00

    Hi t.linnX,

    Thanks for posting in the community. We are happy to help you.

    According to your description, could you please share with us a test file that reproduces this situation? Also, make sure that the test file does not contain any private information. You can upload the test file to any online drive, like OneDrive, and then post the shared link here.

    We look forward to your response. Thanks for your cooperation.

    Sincerely,

    George | Microsoft Community Moderator

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