Thanks for your responses, Charles.

I've been using my system with the headers and footers (I do schedules with them) for over 20 years, so I do not get lost and confused, and I understand exactly what the page breaks I use do - whatever their correct name.

My problem is a visual one - I cannot see exactly how long or short or how much the line needs to move sideways or whatever, because of the ridiculous and unnecessary tags, which is why I want to switch them off. I now have to move, lengthen or shorten the lines slightly and then close the header and footer so that I can see what actually happened, and then go back in an repeat the process in a frustrating and time wasting manner. But if there isn't any way to do it, then I just have to accept it, I suppose.

I have versions of 2007 and 2003 (I might even have 98, or is it 97?), but when I tried to use them in windows 10, it wouldn't allow it. Do I have to download anything special, or can I just install one of the versions I've got? I created most of my work on these older versions, and they cope immeasurably better than the latest version of Word with complex and long tables. I also do long lists which contain photos, and this word is hopeless - it constantly crashes or messes up the tables in a way earlier versions did not. I would love to go back to them.