Word Headers & Footer Options are missing

Question

I have been using Microsoft Word for years, and suddenly the options for Headers & Footers have disappeared. It now only offers me "More Headers from Office.com". I have no idea why. This applies to old documents and new ones

Answer 1

Deleted the file and it regenerated when i opened a new doc. Problem was not resolved though

Thanks for the follow-up. Are you sure that you deleted the correct version of the file? There will be one per language version of Office.

If you did make sure that it was the correct version, and the problem remains, try an Online Repair of Office. See https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/repair-an-office-application-7821d4b6-7c1d-4205-aa0e-a6b40c5bb88b .

Answer 2

As far as I know, this problem has never been solved by reinstalling Word or repairing Office.

Deleting the file Built-In Building Blocks.dotx from the folder:
Document Building Blocks/1033/16
did not help you.

If English US is not your primary proofing language, the file will be in a different folder keyed to that language. Look for other files under Document Building Blocks.

Stefan and Suzanne both told you about the different language files but you may have missed it. Here is my page on this problem: https://www.addbalance.com/word/pagenumber10.htm#Solution

The screenshot below is from my Explorer map.

I would recommend deleting all files named Built-In Building Block.dotx with Word closed. I agree that you will be ahead, though, if you actually learn to build and use your own Headers, Footers, and Page numbers. Use the ones provided by Word as samples or ideas if you want.

Here is a Quick Reference Guide that Microsoft used to publish on Header, Footers, and Page Numbers in pdf form. https://www.addbalance.com/word/download.htm#hfQuickReference

Here is my feedback requesting that they restore the page: https://feedbackportal.microsoft.com/feedback/idea/88c65ccc-f18a-ee11-a81c-0022484e5453 You are welcome to comment and vote on it.

Answer 3

While it is possible to create a header manually as the AI suggests, the failure to find the fancier options in the dropdown usually means that the Built-in Building Blocks.dotx file has been damaged. If you delete this file, Word will rebuild it. Find it at "C:\Users<ProfileName>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Document Building Blocks\1033\16\Built-In Building Blocks.dotx" (this assumes English Microsoft 365; your final path may be different depending on language and version).

Answer 4

Your description indicates that the Built-in Building Blocks template (you may or you may not see the .dotx extension), which stores custom header/footer formats, have been damaged. You can delete the template, with Word closed.

Do the following: Exit Word if it is currently running. In File Explorer, go to %appdata%\Microsoft\Document Building Blocks. If you have a US English installation, open the 1033 subfolder and then the 16 subfolder. You will find two templates—Building Blocks.dotx and Built-in Building Blocks.dotx—and you should delete the latter one. When you are done, restart Word.

Answer 5

In Word, the built‑in header and footer gallery is optional, but the core Header & Footer functionality is still available from the ribbon even if the gallery looks empty.

To insert or edit headers/footers without relying on the gallery:

1. Open the document in Word (desktop).
2. Go to the Insert tab.
3. Select Header & Footer (or Header / Footer, depending on the version):
   • This opens the header or footer area and shows the Header & Footer contextual tab.
4. Type the desired header or footer content directly in the header/footer area.
5. Use the Options on the Header & Footer ribbon to control how they appear (for example, different first page or different odd and even pages).
6. When finished, select Close Header and Footer or press Esc.

If the issue is that nothing appears in the gallery but the command still works, the templates in the gallery may be missing or not loading, but this does not affect the ability to create and format headers and footers manually as above.

For section‑specific headers/footers, use section breaks and unlink them as needed:

1. Place the cursor at the start of the section that needs a different header/footer.
2. Select Layout > Breaks > Next Page.
3. Double‑click in the header or footer of the new section.
4. On the Header & Footer tab, turn off Link to Previous so that this section’s header/footer is independent.
5. Repeat for other sections as needed, then close the header/footer.

In Word for the web, the equivalent is:

1. Go to Insert > Header & Footer.
2. Add or edit the header/footer text.
3. Use Options to choose how they appear.
4. Select Close Header and Footer or press Esc when done.

If headers/footers appear to be missing entirely in Print Layout view, verify that page white space (which includes headers and footers) is visible:

1. Select File > Options > Display.
2. Ensure Show white space between pages in Print Layout view is checked.

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References:

• Configure headers and footers for different sections of a Word document
• Insert a header or footer
• Basic tasks in Word Online
• Basic tasks in Word
• Word Options (Display)