The fastest way: use Word's built-in page number tool

Open your document in Microsoft Word. Go to the Insert tab at the top of the screen. Click Page Numbers — it's in the Header & Footer group. A dropdown menu will appear with position options: Top of Page, Bottom of Page, Page Margins, or Current Position. Pick where you want the numbers to appear.

Word will insert the page numbers automatically across every page. The numbers update if you add or delete pages later. If you want to remove them, go back to Insert > Page Numbers and select Remove Page Numbers.

This method works the same way in Word for Windows and Word for Mac. If you're using an older version of Word (2010 or earlier), the button location may differ slightly, but the Insert tab is always where you'll find it.

Key Takeaways

  • Page numbers are added through the Insert tab, not by typing them manually into each page.
  • You can choose to place numbers at the top or bottom of pages, and Word applies them to the entire document at once.
  • Removing page numbers is just as straightforward as adding them — use the same Insert menu and select Remove.
  • If you want the first page to have no number, you can set that in the Design tab under Different First Page.
  • Page numbers in headers and footers stay separate from your document text, so they won't interfere with your content.

Starting page numbers from a number other than 1

Sometimes you need your document to start at page 5, or page 100 — for example, if it's part of a larger report. After you've added page numbers using Insert > Page Numbers, double-click the header or footer area where the numbers appear. This opens the header/footer editing mode.

Right-click on the page number itself and select Format Page Numbers. A dialog box will open. Under "Page numbering," choose Start at and type the number you want. Click OK. Word will now number your pages starting from that number instead of 1.

Skipping the first page or using different numbering on different pages

If you want page 1 to have no number but page 2 to start with "2," go to the Design tab (or Header and Footer Tools in older versions). Check the box for Different First Page. Now the first page will have no number, and numbering will begin on page 2.

To use different numbering schemes in different sections of your document — for example, Roman numerals for an introduction and regular numbers for the main text — you'll need to insert section breaks. Place your cursor where you want the new section to begin. Go to Insert > Breaks > Section Breaks and choose the type you need. Then add page numbers to each section separately and format them differently.

Changing the style and format of your page numbers

Double-click the header or footer area where your page numbers appear to enter editing mode. Right-click on the page number and select Format Page Numbers. The dialog box lets you choose different number formats: regular numbers (1, 2, 3), Roman numerals (I, II, III), or letters (A, B, C).

If you want to add text around the number — like "Page 1" or "1 of 10" — you can type directly in the header or footer. For example, type "Page " before the number and Word will display "Page 1," "Page 2," and so on. To add the total page count, type "of " after the number, then go to Insert > Field and choose NumPages. This will show "Page 1 of 15" automatically.

Troubleshooting: page numbers not appearing or appearing on every page when you don't want them

If page numbers aren't showing up, check that you're not in a section with a different header or footer. Double-click the header or footer area and look for a label that says Same as Previous. If you see it, click it to toggle it off — this lets you have different headers in different sections.

If page numbers are appearing on pages where you don't want them, use the Different First Page option (in the Design tab) to remove them from page 1. For other pages, you may need to insert a section break and then remove the page numbers from that section only. Right-click the page number in the section you want to change and delete it — the other sections will keep their numbers.

If your document has multiple sections and the numbering resets or skips, check your section breaks. Go to Home > Show/Hide (the ¶ symbol) to see where your breaks are. You can then adjust the page numbering in each section using Format Page Numbers.

Using page numbers in Google Docs or other editors

If you're working in Google Docs instead of Word, the process is similar but slightly different. Go to Insert > Page Numbers. Choose where you want them and whether you want them on the first page. Google Docs will add them automatically.

In LibreOffice Writer (a free alternative), go to Insert > Header and Footer > Header, then Insert > Page Number. The steps are comparable to Word but the menu names differ. If you're switching between editors, the core idea is the same: page numbers live in headers or footers, not in the document body itself.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I have different page numbers on odd and even pages?

Word doesn't have a built-in option for this, but you can achieve it by inserting section breaks and formatting each section separately. Insert a section break before each new page you want to number differently, then format the page numbers in each section independently.

What if I want page numbers only on certain pages?

Use section breaks to divide your document into parts. In sections where you don't want page numbers, double-click the header or footer and delete the page number field. Other sections will keep theirs. Make sure "Same as Previous" is turned off for each section.

Do page numbers count toward my word count?

No. Page numbers in headers and footers are not part of your document's body text, so they don't affect your word count. Word's word counter ignores everything in headers and footers.

Can I move page numbers from the bottom to the top of the page after I've already added them?

Yes. Go to Insert > Page Numbers again and choose a different position. Word will move all the page numbers to the new location. You can also manually cut and paste the page number field from one header or footer to another if you need more control.

What happens to page numbers if I delete pages from my document?

Word updates the page numbers automatically. If you delete page 5, what was page 6 becomes page 5 and the number updates on its own. You don't need to do anything.