How to number pages in Word for Windows

How to add regular numbering

1. Click “Insert” → “Page Number” and select a position: top, bottom, or in the margins.

2. If you don’t want the number to appear on the first page, enable the Custom First Page Header option.

3. If you want the numbering to start on the second page not from two, but from one, click “Page number” → “Page number format” and in the “Page numbering” item, select “start from 0”.

4. To close the header and footer window, press the Esc key or double-click on the page.

How to add double numbering

Let’s say you want numbering through the entire document at the top and a separate number for each section at the bottom. Or vice versa.

You won’t be able to do this the normal way because Word syncs the numbers at the top and bottom of the page by default. To reset the numbering in each section, you will have to use a special formula.

1. Put down the usual numbering at the top and bottom of the page according to the instructions above.

2. Break the document into sections. To do this, place the cursor where you want the first section to end and click Layout → Breaks → Next Page. This will separate the first section from the rest of the document. Then separate the other sections in the same way.

3. Break the link in the page numbers of different sections. To do this, open the first page of the second section and double-click on the numbering that you need to start over (in our example, it is at the bottom). In the menu, turn off the option “As in the previous section.”

Leave continuous numbering on the opposite side of the page unchanged.

4. Call the current numbering formula: select the number and press Shift + F9 and immediately Ctrl + F9. If you did everything right, the formula {{PAGE * MERGEFORMAT}} will be displayed instead of the page number. If Shift + F9 doesn’t work, try Alt + F9.

5. Now reset the numbering using the formula. To do this, insert an equal sign between the left curly braces, and a minus sign and a number that is 1 less than the current page number between the right braces.

For example, if the number is 6, you should get {={PAGE * MERGEFORMAT}-5}.

6. Convert the formula back to a number: select it and press F9. A 1 will be displayed in place of the section page number, while the continuous numbering will remain intact.

7. Repeat steps 3-6 for all subsequent sections of the document.

How to number pages in Word for macOS

1. Click “Insert” → “Page Number” → “Page Number”.

2. Adjust the position and alignment of the numbers. If you do not want the number to be displayed on the first page, clear the corresponding checkbox.

3. If necessary, make sure that the numbering on the second page does not start with two, but with one. To do this, click “Format” and set “0” in the “Start” item.

4. Click OK to save your changes.

How to number pages in Word Online

1. Click “Insert” → “Page Numbers” and select an appropriate location.

2. If you do not want the number to be displayed on the first page, click “Options” on the right and select “Custom Header for Cover Page”.

3. To close the header and footer window, press the Esc key or double-click on the page.

If you want to check the display of numbers, click “View” → “Reading Mode”.