Create a Letterhead in Word

Microsoft Word doesn't have a built-in "letterhead" object. Instead, a letterhead is built as a header image, so it repeats automatically on every page while your letter body stays fully editable underneath it. Typed-in headers built directly in Word's header editor tend to drift out of alignment between machines with different fonts installed — an image sidesteps that completely, because what you see is exactly what prints, on any computer. Here is the fastest, most reliable way to set one up, along with what to do when it doesn't immediately work.

Why an image-based header instead of typing directly in Word

Typing your company name, logo placeholder and address directly into Word's header editor seems simpler at first, but it breaks in three common ways: the font you designed with may not be installed on the recipient's machine, the logo has to be inserted and resized separately from the text (and can drift out of position when the document is edited), and matching precise colours and spacing by eye in Word's header tool is slow. A single exported header image avoids all three — position, font, colour and logo are locked in exactly as designed.

Step 1: Design and export the header graphic

Build your letterhead in the Letterheads editor, then open the "Word & Docs" tool from the toolbar. It renders a high-resolution PNG of just your header block — logo, company name, tagline and contact line — sized correctly for a page margin, with a transparent background so it sits cleanly over Word's white page rather than showing a visible rectangle.

Step 2: Insert it as a Word header

Step 3: Save it as a reusable template

Once the header is placed, use File → Save As, then choose Word Template (.dotx) instead of a normal document (.docx). Templates are stored separately from regular files — on Windows, Word will usually offer to save it into your Custom Office Templates folder by default. From then on, choosing File → New → Personal (or Custom) will show your letterhead template alongside Word's built-in ones, and every new letter you start from it already has your letterhead in place.

Doing the same thing in Google Docs

• Open a blank document in Google Docs and double-click the top margin area to open the header section.
• Choose Insert → Image → Upload from computer, and select the same PNG you exported.
• Set text wrapping to "In front of text" (Google Docs doesn't have a true "behind text" option for headers, so this gets the closest equivalent result).
• Adjust the top document margin under File → Page setup if the header needs more breathing room — 25mm (1 inch) works for most letterhead designs.
• To reuse it, go to File → Make a copy each time you start a new letter, or save the finished document as a Google Docs template via your Template Gallery if your workspace has one enabled.

Doing it in Word for the web (Microsoft 365)

The browser version of Word has a simplified header tool compared to desktop Word. The core steps are the same — Insert → Header & Footer → Edit Header, then Insert → Pictures — but Wrap Text options are more limited online. If the image doesn't position exactly where you want it, the more reliable path is to build the letterhead in desktop Word once, save it as a .dotx template, then open that template from Word for the web whenever you need a new letter; the header will already be correctly placed.

Common problems and how to fix them

Letterhead on page one only, plain paper after that

Many organisations only want the full letterhead on the first page of a multi-page letter, with plain (or lightly branded) continuation pages after that — a long-standing print convention that also saves toner on internal printing. In Word, this is controlled by Header & Footer → Options → "Different First Page." Turn it on, place your full letterhead image in the First Page Header, then switch to the regular header (page 2 onward) and either leave it blank or insert a smaller version showing just your company name.

Distributing a letterhead template across a team

If more than one person needs to send letters on the same letterhead, saving a personal .dotx template isn't enough — it only lives on your machine. Two practical options: store the .dotx file in a shared drive (SharePoint, OneDrive or a shared network folder) with instructions to save a personal copy before editing, or set it as an organisation-wide template through your Microsoft 365 admin centre if your organisation manages Office centrally. Either way, keep one master copy of the exported PNG somewhere your team can find it, so the letterhead itself never has to be redesigned or re-exported from scratch.

One thing worth checking regardless of which route you take: open the finished document on a second machine before sending it to a client. Fonts, margins and image scaling can occasionally shift between different versions of Word — five minutes of checking now avoids an embarrassing "why does your logo look stretched" email later.

PDF letterhead vs Word letterhead: which should you send?

These solve different problems, and most organisations end up using both. A finished PDF is what you send when the letter is done and shouldn't be edited further — the layout is locked, it looks identical on every device, and it's the standard for anything formal like a signed contract or an official notice. A Word document with the letterhead built into the header is what you use internally, while the letter is still being written, reviewed or filled in by someone else on the team — it stays editable right up until the moment you're ready to finalise it, at which point exporting to PDF (File → Export → Create PDF/XPS in Word) is the natural last step before sending.

A few more troubleshooting cases