Manage Section Breaks and Headers in LibreOffice Writer

Managing distinct sections and linked headers in LibreOffice Writer relies on utilizing Page Styles rather than traditional section breaks. This guide explains how to insert manual page breaks with assigned styles, configure headers so they remain independent or continuous across sections, and unlink header content to maintain different running headers throughout your document.

Understanding Page Styles in LibreOffice

Unlike some word processors that use inline section breaks to split header formatting, LibreOffice Writer links headers directly to Page Styles. To change a header or footer midway through a document, you must apply a new Page Style using a manual break.

Inserting a Page Break with a New Style

To start a new section with a different header:

1. Place your cursor where you want the new section to begin.
2. Go to Insert > More Breaks > Manual Break.
3. In the dialog box, select Page break.
4. In the Page Style drop-down menu, choose the style you want to apply to the next section (for example, Default Page Style, Landscape, or a custom style).
5. (Optional) Check Change page number if you need the page numbering to restart.
6. Click OK.

Creating Custom Page Styles for Unique Headers

If the default styles do not meet your needs, create unique styles for each section:

1. Open the Styles sidebar by pressing F11 (or click View > Styles).
2. Click the Page Styles icon at the top of the sidebar.
3. Right-click an existing style (such as Default Page Style) and select New.
4. In the Organizer tab, give your style a recognizable name (e.g., Chapter 1).
5. In the Header tab, check Header on to enable the header for this style.
6. Click OK.

Linking or Unlinking Headers Between Sections

Headers in LibreOffice automatically repeat across all pages that share the same Page Style.

• To make headers independent: Assign different Page Styles to different sections using the manual break method. Edit the header in one Page Style, and it will not affect pages governed by a different Page Style.
• To link headers across sections: Apply the same Page Style across those sections. Any text or fields added to the header will automatically reflect across every page using that style.
• Different first page header: If you want the first page of a section to have a different or empty header, go to the Header tab of that style’s settings and uncheck Same content on first page.
• Different left and right headers: In the style’s Header tab, uncheck Same content on left and right pages to create alternating headers for book layouts.

Removing Section Breaks

To remove a manual page break and merge the formatting back into the previous section:

1. Place the cursor at the very beginning of the first paragraph on the page following the break.
2. Press Backspace.
3. The page will merge with the previous section and adopt its Page Style and header settings automatically.