Quick answer: In desktop Word, choose Insert > Page Number, pick a location such as the top or bottom of the page, and select a design. Word inserts an automatic page-number field in the header or footer. Check several pages before saving: the field should display 1, 2, 3 as the document grows, rather than repeating a number you typed manually.
Add automatic page numbers to a Word document
- Open the document and save a working copy if its headers or sections are already customized.
- Choose Insert > Page Number. Pick Top of Page, Bottom of Page, or another offered location, then select a design. Word opens the header or footer and places a page-number field there.
- Choose Close Header and Footer, or double-click in the document body. This exits header/footer editing; save the document normally afterward.
- Scroll to the first, a middle, and the last page. The displayed number should advance with each page. Use Print Preview to confirm that it will appear in the exported or printed copy.
For a five-page report, a simple bottom-of-page design should show 1 on its first page and 5 on its last. Add a paragraph that pushes text onto a new page; Word should recalculate the page-number fields. You do not need to type or manually update a number on each page.
If the document already has a logo, title, or other header/footer text, double-click in that area and place the cursor exactly where the number belongs. Then choose Insert > Page Number > Current Position or the equivalent command offered by your Word version, and select a style. This helps you keep the existing content instead of replacing the whole header or footer with a gallery design. Microsoft’s page-number instructions document the current-position method. After inserting the field, inspect the header on several pages for overlapping text or graphics.
Hide a number on the cover page
Open the first page’s header or footer and select Different First Page. If a number remains in the separate First Page Header or Footer, select that number field and delete it. Leave the following pages’ header or footer intact. Page 2 may still display 2 because it is the second physical page. If you want page 2 labeled 1, choose Page Number > Format Page Numbers and set Start at to 0 for that section. Our page-number removal guide covers cover pages and section-specific removal in more detail.
Use another format or start in a later section
Format Page Numbers controls the displayed number style and starting value. It can show i, ii, iii for front matter or start a section at 1. To create a different sequence in a body section, insert a Layout > Breaks > Next Page section break at the boundary, open the header or footer in the new section, and turn off Link to Previous for the area holding the number. Then add or retain its page-number field and set the format or Start at value. Header and footer links are separate. For numeral styles such as Roman numerals, see our format page numbers guide. See our different page numbers by section guide for a worked example.
If numbers should appear only from page 3 or later, changing Start at without a section break is insufficient. Use our start numbering on a specific page guide for that distinct task.
Add page numbers in Word on iPhone or Android
The mobile apps use a smaller ribbon than desktop Word. The path also differs between iPhone and Android, so use the steps for your device.
iPhone (Word for iOS)
- Open the document for editing and show the ribbon.
- Open the Insert tab and choose Page numbers.
- Select the page-number option and position you want. Return to the document body, then check the first and a later page to make sure the number advances.
Android (Word for Android)
- Open the document in Editing view. From the ribbon, choose Insert > Header and footer.
- While editing the header or footer, open its options and choose Page number.
- Select the location for the number, close the header and footer, and check at least two pages. If the small-screen ribbon hides a command, open More options first.
Microsoft documents the separate iOS and Android page-number menus. The mobile controls can vary with app version and screen size. For a document with section breaks or different page-number sequences, finish the layout in desktop Word and inspect the result on your phone.
Word for the web
In Word for the web, choose Insert > Page Numbers, select a header or footer position and alignment, and choose whether to include the total page count. Its controls differ from the desktop gallery. If the document has complex section layouts, open it in desktop Word to inspect the section break and linked header/footer settings. Microsoft describes the web insertion path in its Word page-number guide.
If the result looks wrong
- Every page shows the same digit: you may have typed a literal number. Delete it and insert a page-number field.
- The first page is blank: check Different First Page and the separate First Page Header or Footer.
- Numbers stop or restart later: inspect the first affected section, its page-number field, Link to Previous, and Continue from previous section versus Start at. Our restart page numbering guide covers the new-section sequence.
- A number is hidden behind a graphic: move or resize the overlapping object, or choose another header/footer position.
- Only odd or even pages differ: check whether Different Odd & Even Pages is selected and inspect both header/footer types.
Our page-number troubleshooting guide follows these symptoms step by step. Check the saved document and print preview before sharing it, especially if it has a cover, sections, or different odd and even headers.
If you actually need a number beside each line of text rather than on each page, learn how to number the lines in Word.
Matt has been writing about Microsoft Windows and other Microsoft products since the days of Windows XP. He spends much of his time writing for sites like WindowBrain.com