Where to find the page number tool in Google Docs
Page numbers in Google Docs live in the Insert menu at the top of your document. Click "Insert," then scroll down to find "Page number." You'll see options to place the number at the top of the page (header), bottom of the page (footer), or in the margin. Most people put page numbers at the bottom center or bottom right.
The menu also shows you where the number will land before you click it. If you hover over each option, you'll see a small preview of the page with the number in that spot. This helps you pick the placement that matches how you want your document to look.
Key Takeaways
- Page numbers are inserted through the Insert menu, and you choose whether they go in the header, footer, or margin of your pages.
- Google Docs automatically numbers all pages in sequence, and the number updates if you add or delete pages later.
- You can start numbering from a page other than 1 by opening the header or footer and using the page number options menu.
- Page numbers do not appear in the main text area — they sit in the header or footer space, which you access by double-clicking near the top or bottom edge of the page.
How page numbers appear once you insert them
Once you click a page number option, the number appears when ready on every page of your document. Google Docs numbers them automatically: page 1 gets "1," page 2 gets "2," and so on. If you add new pages in the middle of your document, the numbers shift to stay in order.
The page number sits in a separate area from your main text. If you placed it in the footer, you won't see it in the body of your document — it lives below where your text ends. To edit or remove it later, you need to click into that footer or header space by double-clicking near the bottom or top edge of the page.
Changing where page numbers start if your document doesn't begin at page 1
If you're working on page 5 of a larger project or you want numbering to start at a different number, you can change the starting point. Double-click the footer or header where your page number sits. Then right-click on the page number itself and select "More options."
A menu will open on the right side of your screen. Look for the field that says "Page number" and change the number to whatever you want the first page to show. If you want page 1 of your document to display as "5," type "5" in that field. Google Docs will then number forward from there.
Removing page numbers from your first page only
Many documents — like reports or essays — don't have a page number on the cover page. To hide the page number on just the first page, double-click the footer or header where the number appears. Then look for the option that says "Different first page" and turn it on.
Once you enable "Different first page," the page number disappears from page 1 but stays on every page after that. The footer or header on page 1 becomes its own separate space, so you can leave it blank or add different text there if you want.
Formatting the page number — font, size, and style
You can change how the page number looks by selecting it and using the same formatting tools you'd use for regular text. Double-click the footer or header to enter edit mode, then click on the page number to select it. The toolbar at the top now shows font, size, bold, italic, and color options.
Make the number larger, change it to bold, or switch the font to match the rest of your document. You can also add text around the number — for example, typing "Page 1" instead of just "1," or "- 1 -" to frame it. Any formatting you explore to the page number applies to all page numbers in your document at once.
What to do if page numbers aren't showing up
If you inserted page numbers but don't see them, check whether you're looking in the right place. Page numbers in the footer won't appear in the main text area — scroll to the very bottom of a page or zoom out to see them. If you placed them in the header, look at the top of the page instead.
Another reason page numbers might not show is if your document uses different headers or footers on different pages. If you turned on "Different first page" or "Different odd and even pages," the page number might only appear on certain pages. Double-click the header or footer area to see what's actually there. If the page number field is empty, click "Insert" again and select "Page number" to add it back.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use letters or Roman numerals instead of regular numbers?
Google Docs doesn't have a built-in option to switch to letters or Roman numerals directly from the Insert menu. However, you can delete the automatic page number and type the numbering yourself in the footer or header. This means manually updating each page, which works for short documents but becomes tedious for longer ones.
Do page numbers print when I print my document?
Yes, page numbers print by default. When you print or read your document as a PDF, the page numbers appear exactly as they show on screen. If you don't want them to print, you need to delete them before printing.
What if I want different page numbers on odd and even pages?
Double-click the footer or header and look for the option "Different odd and even pages." Turn it on, and you can then set different content for left-facing and right-facing pages. This is useful for printed books or documents where you want page numbers on the outside edge of each page.
Can I add page numbers to only some pages, not all?
Page numbers in Google Docs explore to the entire document once you insert them. You can hide them on the first page using "Different first page," but you can't selectively hide them on random pages in the middle. If you need that level of control, you'd need to break your document into separate files.
How do I remove page numbers after I've added them?
Double-click the footer or header where the page number appears. Click on the page number to select it, then press Delete or Backspace. The page number disappears from all pages. If you want to keep the footer or header but just remove the number, select it and delete only that element.