Free MLA Heading & Header Generator

Free MLA Heading & Header Generator (MLA 9th Edition)

Our MLA heading and header generator builds the first-page heading and running header your paper needs in MLA 9 format. Enter your name, instructor, course, date, and title, and the tool returns a ready-to-paste heading plus a header with your last name and page number.

It follows the MLA Handbook, 9th edition, and the formatting guidance from the MLA Style Center. You get correct line order, date format, spacing, and alignment without opening a style guide.

How to Use the MLA Heading & Header Generator

The whole process takes less than a minute.

1. Enter your full name. Use the name your instructor knows you by, as it appears on the class roster.
2. Add your instructor's name. Include the title they prefer, such as Professor Rivera or Dr. Chen.
3. Type the course name or number. For example, English 101 or ENG 1301.
4. Pick the date. The tool converts it to MLA order automatically, such as 5 October 2026.
5. Enter your paper title and last name. The title is placed and centered for you, and your last name feeds the running header.
6. Preview and export. Check the live preview, then copy the text or download a Word file you can also open in Google Docs.

MLA Heading Format: The Four Lines

The MLA heading sits at the top left of the first page, one inch from the top edge. It has four double-spaced lines, followed by the centered paper title.

Keep the heading and title in the same font and size as your essay. Do not bold, underline, italicize, or enlarge the title, and do not put it in quotation marks. Add no extra blank lines between the heading, title, and first paragraph. Unsure about capitalization? Run it through the MLA Title Case Converter first.

MLA Header Format: The Running Head

The running head shows your last name and the page number in the top right corner of every page, such as Thompson 1. It sits half an inch from the top and lines up with the right margin.

• Content: last name, one space, page number. No comma, no p., no dash.
• Position: upper right corner, inside the document's header area.
• Pages: every page, including page one and the Works Cited page.
• Numbering: use your word processor's automatic page numbers so they update as you edit.
• Font: the same font and size as the body of your paper.

The running head appears on the first page too, above the four-line heading. Only the heading is limited to page one. For the exact menu steps, see our guides on MLA format in Microsoft Word and MLA format in Google Docs.

MLA Heading vs. Header: What Is the Difference?

Students often use the two terms for the same thing, but MLA treats them as separate parts. The generator creates both.

A quick way to remember it: the heading introduces you once, while the header follows you on every page.

How to Add the MLA Header in Google Docs and Word

The generator's Word download includes the running head already. If you are setting it up by hand, follow these steps.

Google Docs

1. Go to Insert, then Page numbers, and choose the option that shows numbers at the top right of all pages.
2. Click just before the page number and type your last name followed by one space.
3. Go to Format, then Headers & footers, and confirm the header margin is 0.5 inch.
4. Select the header text and match its font and size to your essay.

Microsoft Word

1. Go to Insert, then Page Number, then Top of Page, and select Plain Number 3 (right-aligned).
2. Click before the number and type your last name followed by one space.
3. Make sure Different First Page is unchecked, so the header shows on page one.
4. Set Header from Top to 0.5 inch, match the font to your essay, then close the header.

Special Cases: Group Papers, Title Pages, and Dates

Group projects. MLA suggests a separate title page instead of a first-page heading when several students write one paper. List each author's name on its own line, then the instructor, course, and date. If all the last names will not fit on one line in the running head, use the page number alone.

Title page requested. MLA papers normally skip a title page. Use one only when your instructor asks for it or the paper is a group project. In that case, the heading information moves to the separate page, and page one starts with the title.

Works Cited page. It keeps the running head and continues the page numbers, but it never repeats the four-line heading.

Date format. Write the date in day month year order with the month spelled out.

Use the date you submit the paper unless your instructor asks for the due date.

Common MLA Heading and Header Mistakes

These small errors are easy to miss and often cost formatting points. The generator avoids all of them.