Add and edit headers and footers



A header and footer present consistent information in the page margins throughout a PDF. For example, the information could be a date, automatic page numbering, the title of the overall document, or name of the author. You can add headers and footers to one or more PDFs, including component PDFs in a PDF Portfolio.

You can vary the headers and footers within a PDF. For example, you can add a header that displays the page number on the right side of odd-numbered pages, and another header that displays the page number on the left side of even-numbered pages.

You can define and save your headers and footers to reuse them later, or you can simply apply a header and footer and forget it. After applying a header and footer, you can edit, replace, or delete it in the PDF. You can also preview headers and footers before applying them and adjust the header and footer margins so that they don’t overlap other page content.

Add headers and footers, with an open document

  1. Choose Document > Header & Footer > Add.
  2. As needed, specify the Font and Margin values.
    The text properties apply to all header and footer entries that are part of this setting definition. You cannot apply different settings to individual header or footer text boxes within the same session in the Add Header And Footer dialog box
    To prevent overlapping, click the Appearance Options button and select Shrink Document To Avoid Overwriting The Document’s Text And Graphics. To prevent resizing or repositioning when printing the PDF in large format, select Keep Position And Size Of Header/Footer Text Constant When Printing On Different Page Sizes.
  3. Type the text in any of the header and footer text boxes. To insert page numbers or the current date, click in a box and then click the corresponding buttons. To select formatting for automatic entries, click Page Number And Date Format.
    Note: You can combine text with dates and page numbers. You can also add several lines of text to an entry.
  4. To specify the pages on which the header and footer appear, click the Page Range Options button. Then specify a page range and choose a Subset option, as needed.
  5. Examine the results in the Preview area, using the Preview Page option to see different pages of the PDF.
  6. (Optional) To save these header and footer settings for future use, click Save Settings at the top of the dialog box.
  7. (Optional) To apply the same settings to additional PDFs, click Apply To Multiple. Click Add Files, choose Add Files or Add Open Files, and select the files. Then in the Output Options dialog box, specify your folder and filename preferences, and click OK.

Add headers and footers, with no document open

  1. Choose Document > Header & Footer > Add.
  2. In the dialog box, click Add Files, choose Add Files, then select the files.
    You can also add files or folders by dragging them into the dialog box.
  3. Follow steps 2 through 6 in the procedure for adding headers and footers with an open document. When you have finished setting up your headers and footers, click OK.
  4. In the Output Options dialog box, specify your folder and filename preferences and click OK.

Add headers and footers to component PDFs in a PDF Portfolio

  1. Select one or more component PDFs in a PDF Portfolio.
  2. Follow the steps in the procedure for adding headers and footers with an open document.

Update the headers and footers

Updating applies to the most recently added header and footer set.

  1. Open a single PDF.
  2. Choose Document > Header & Footer > Update.
  3. Change the settings as needed.

Add another header and footer

  1. Open a single PDF, or select one component PDF in a PDF Portfolio.
  2. Choose Document > Header & Footer > Add, and then click Add New in the message that appears.

    The preview shows any existing headers and footers.

  3. Type text in the header and footer text boxes to add more headers and footers. As you type, the preview updates the appearance of the complete headers and footers on the page.
  4. Select new formatting options, as preferred, again noticing the updating in the preview.

Replace all headers and footers

  1. Open a single PDF.
  2. Choose Document > Header & Footer > Add, and then click Replace Existing in the message that appears.
  3. Specify the settings, as needed.
Note: This process applies only to headers and footers added in Acrobat 7.0 or later.

Remove all headers and footers

 Do one of the following:

  • Open a single PDF, or select one component PDF in a PDF Portfolio. Then choose Document > Header & Footer > Remove.

  • To remove headers and footers from multiple PDFs, close any open documents and choose Document > Header & Footer > Remove. In the dialog box, click Add Files, choose Add Files, and select the files. Click OK, and then in the Output Options dialog box, specify your folder and filename preferences.

Note: This process applies only to headers and footers added in Acrobat 7.0 or later.