w:hdr (Header)

Root element of a header part (header1.xml, etc.), containing block-level content rendered at the top of each page.

Child elements

Description

w:hdr is the root element of a header part (header{n}.xml). It is defined in ECMA-376 Part 1 §17.10.4.

The header part is a separate XML file in the OOXML package, linked from the main document part via a w:headerReference relationship inside w:sectPr. w:hdr can contain any combination of paragraphs (w:p) and tables (w:tbl), just like w:body, but must contain at least one paragraph. Header content is rendered at the top of each page according to the header’s reference type (default, first, even/odd).

Multiple header parts can exist in a document (e.g., header1.xml, header2.xml) for different sections or page types. The header part is shared within a section unless the section specifies w:evenAndOddHeaders for separate even/odd pages or w:titlePg for a different first page.

Attributes

Attribute	Type	Possible Values	Description
(none)	—	—	Content is expressed entirely via child paragraphs and tables.

Header Reference Types

Type	Usage	Purpose
`default`	Standard header	Applies to all pages (or odd pages if `evenAndOddHeaders` is set)
`first`	First page header	Applies to first page only when `w:titlePg` is active
`even`	Even-page header	Applies to even pages when `w:evenAndOddHeaders` is active

Examples

Simple right-aligned text header

<!-- header1.xml -->
<w:hdr xmlns:w="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/wordprocessingml/2006/main">
  <w:p>
    <w:pPr>
      <w:jc w:val="right"/>
    </w:pPr>
    <w:r><w:t>My Document Header</w:t></w:r>
  </w:p>
</w:hdr>

var headerPart = mainPart.AddNewPart<HeaderPart>();
string headerId = mainPart.GetIdOfPart(headerPart);
headerPart.Header = new Header(
  new Paragraph(
    new ParagraphProperties(new Justification { Val = JustificationValues.Right }),
    new Run(new Text("My Document Header"))));

Header with page number field and border

<!-- header1.xml: page number footer -->
<w:hdr xmlns:w="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/wordprocessingml/2006/main"
       xmlns:r="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/officeDocument/2006/relationships">
  <w:p>
    <w:pPr>
      <w:pBdr>
        <w:bottom w:val="single" w:sz="12" w:space="1" w:color="000000"/>
      </w:pBdr>
    </w:pPr>
    <w:r>
      <w:fldChar w:fldCharType="begin"/>
    </w:r>
    <w:r>
      <w:instrText> PAGE </w:instrText>
    </w:r>
    <w:r>
      <w:fldChar w:fldCharType="end"/>
    </w:r>
  </w:p>
</w:hdr>

var headerPart = mainPart.AddNewPart<HeaderPart>();
headerPart.Header = new Header(
  new Paragraph(
    new ParagraphProperties(
      new ParagraphBorders(
        new BottomBorder { Val = BorderValues.Single, Sz = 12, Space = 1, Color = "000000" })),
    new Run(new FieldChar { FieldCharType = FieldCharValues.Begin }),
    new Run(new FieldCode(" PAGE ")),
    new Run(new FieldChar { FieldCharType = FieldCharValues.End })));

Multi-line header with company logo table

<!-- header1.xml: company branding -->
<w:hdr xmlns:w="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/wordprocessingml/2006/main"
       xmlns:r="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/officeDocument/2006/relationships">
  <w:tbl>
    <w:tblPr>
      <w:tblW w:w="5000" w:type="pct"/>
      <w:tblBorders>
        <w:bottom w:val="single" w:sz="6" w:space="0" w:color="808080"/>
      </w:tblBorders>
    </w:tblPr>
    <w:tr>
      <w:tc>
        <w:p>
          <w:r><w:t>Company Name</w:t></w:r>
        </w:p>
      </w:tc>
      <w:tc>
        <w:tcPr>
          <w:tcJc w:val="right"/>
        </w:tcPr>
        <w:p>
          <w:pPr><w:jc w:val="right"/></w:pPr>
          <w:r><w:t>Document Date</w:t></w:r>
        </w:p>
      </w:tc>
    </w:tr>
  </w:tbl>
</w:hdr>

var headerPart = mainPart.AddNewPart<HeaderPart>();
headerPart.Header = new Header(
  new Table(
    new TableProperties(
      new TableWidth { Width = "5000", Type = TableWidthUnitValues.Pct },
      new TableBorders(
        new BottomBorder { Val = BorderValues.Single, Sz = 6, Space = 0, Color = "808080" })),
    new TableRow(
      new TableCell(new Paragraph(new Run(new Text("Company Name")))),
      new TableCell(
        new TableCellProperties(new TableCellJustification { Val = TableCellJustificationValues.Right }),
        new Paragraph(
          new ParagraphProperties(new Justification { Val = JustificationValues.Right }),
          new Run(new Text("Document Date")))))));

Common Header Fields

Field Code	Output	Purpose
`PAGE`	Page number	Current page number (e.g., “5”)
`NUMPAGES`	Total pages	Total page count (e.g., “10”)
`STYLEREF "Heading1"`	Chapter title	Reference to nearest Heading1
`DATE \\@ "MM/dd/yyyy"`	Today’s date	Current date (formatted)
`FILENAME`	File name	Document file name

Notes

Header part file: Each header is stored in its own XML file (e.g., header1.xml, header2.xml) in the word/ directory; linked from document.xml.rels.
Minimum content: A header must contain at least one w:p paragraph; empty headers may cause compatibility issues.
Header types: Reference type (default, first, even) is determined by w:headerReference w:type in w:sectPr, not by content in the header itself.
Section-specific headers: Different sections can have different headers; each w:sectPr contains w:headerReference elements pointing to its respective header parts.
Page fields: Use w:fldChar (begin/separate/end) with w:instrText to embed field codes; fields update when document is opened or Print Preview is used.
Accessibility: Headers are often hidden from accessibility readers; ensure critical content is also in the main body if needed for screen readers.
Performance: Large/complex header content (many fields, large images) can impact rendering performance and file size.