How to Add Page Numbers in Word (Every Version, 2026 Guide)

To add page numbers in Word, go to the Insert tab, click Page Number in the Header & Footer group, and choose a position such as Bottom of Page > Plain Number 2. Word numbers every page automatically and keeps the count correct as you add or delete pages. Press Esc or click Close Header and Footer to finish.

That covers most documents. The parts people actually get stuck on are the exceptions: skipping the first page, starting the count on page 3, mixing Roman numerals with normal numbers, and the APA/MLA "last name + number" header. This guide walks through all of them, plus Mac, iPad, and the web version.

Add basic page numbers in Word (Windows)

1. Open your document and go to the Insert tab.
2. In the Header & Footer group, click Page Number.
3. Choose where the number goes: Top of Page, Bottom of Page, Page Margins, or Current Position.
4. Pick a style from the gallery. Plain Number 2 (centered, bottom) is the safe default; Plain Number 3 sits bottom-right.
5. Click Close Header and Footer or press Esc.

Word inserts a live field, not typed text, so the numbers renumber themselves whenever the document changes. You never have to touch them again.

Skip the page number on the first page

Cover pages and title pages usually should not be numbered.

1. Double-click the header or footer area to open the Header & Footer tab.
2. Tick Different First Page.
3. If a number is still showing on page one, delete it. It is removed from the first page only.

By default page two will now show "2". If you want the first counted page to read "1" instead, go to Page Number > Format Page Numbers and set Start at to 0, so the hidden first page is 0 and the next page becomes 1.

Start page numbering from a specific page

This is the one that trips everyone up, and the trick is a section break. Say your document has a title page and a table of contents, and real numbering should start on page 3.

1. Click at the very start of the page where numbering should begin (page 3 in this example).
2. Go to the Layout tab, click Breaks, and choose Next Page under Section Breaks. This splits the document into two independent sections.
3. Double-click the footer (or header) of the new section to open it.
4. In the Header & Footer tab, click Link to Previous to turn it off. The button stops being highlighted. This is the critical step: without it, changes still flow back into the earlier pages.
5. Delete any page numbers from the first section (the title and contents pages).
6. With your cursor in the new section, click Page Number and insert your number.
7. Go to Page Number > Format Page Numbers, select Start at, and enter 1.

Now the first two pages have no number, and page 3 is labelled "1".

Use Roman numerals for the intro, then normal numbers

Long documents often number the front matter (contents, preface) with i, ii, iii and the main body with 1, 2, 3. Same section-break logic:

1. Insert a Next Page section break where the main body begins (see the steps above) and turn off Link to Previous for that section's footer.
2. Click into the front-matter footer, go to Page Number > Format Page Numbers, and set the Number format to i, ii, iii. Set Start at to i.
3. Click into the main-body footer, open Format Page Numbers again, set the format back to 1, 2, 3, and set Start at to 1.

Each section keeps its own numbering style because they are no longer linked.

Add your last name and page number (APA and MLA)

Academic formats want the page number combined with a name or running head in the top margin.

1. Double-click the top of the page to open the header.
2. For MLA: press the right-align button (or Ctrl+R), type your last name and a space, then go to Insert > Page Number > Current Position > Plain Number. Every page shows, for example, "Smith 4".
3. For APA (7th edition) student papers: the page number is right-aligned in the header and no running head is needed. Insert Page Number > Top of Page > Plain Number 3.
4. For APA professional papers: type the running head in capitals on the left, then insert the page number on the right using Current Position after a tab or right alignment.

Always use Insert > Page Number for the number itself so it stays a live field. Typing "4" by hand will be wrong on every other page.

Add page numbers in Word on a Mac

Modern Word for Mac matches Windows: Insert tab > Page Number > choose position and style, then Close Header and Footer.

Older Mac builds use a dedicated dialog instead. Go to Insert > Page Numbers, choose the Position (top or bottom) and Alignment (left, center, right), and untick Show number on first page if you want to skip page one. Click Format in the same dialog to pick Roman numerals or set a starting number.

Add page numbers in Word on iPad, iPhone, or Android

In the Word mobile app:

1. Tap the document to start editing.
2. Tap Insert on the ribbon (on a phone, tap the pencil or More / three-dot menu first to reveal it).
3. Tap Page Numbers and choose a position and alignment.

The mobile apps handle straightforward numbering well. Section-based tricks (starting from a specific page, mixing Roman numerals) are unreliable on mobile, so do those on the desktop or web version and just view or lightly edit on the tablet.

Add page numbers in Word for the web

The free browser version at office.com supports basic numbering: Insert > Page Numbers, then pick a position. If you need Different First Page, section breaks, or custom start values, click Open in Desktop App, because the web editor exposes only the basic options.

Fixing common page-number problems

• Every page shows the same number. You typed the number instead of inserting it. Delete it and use Insert > Page Number so Word adds a counting field.
• Numbering restarts or jumps in the middle. A stray section break is resetting the count. Turn on formatting marks (Ctrl+* on Windows) to see section breaks, then either delete the unwanted break or open Format Page Numbers and switch from Start at to Continue from previous section.
• The number will not disappear from the title page. You forgot Link to Previous, so deleting it on one section wiped it everywhere. Re-insert it, unlink the section, then delete only where you want it gone.
• Numbers look right on screen but print in the wrong place. Check the header/footer margin under Layout > Margins > Custom Margins > Layout tab, where the "From edge" values control how far the number sits from the paper edge.

After Word: page numbers in your PDF

Most documents get shared as PDF, and page numbers you add in Word are baked into the file when you use File > Save As > PDF or File > Export > Create PDF, so they carry over exactly as positioned.

If the exported PDF is heavy with images and too large to email, you can shrink it in your browser with our free Compress PDF tool, which runs entirely on your device so the document is never uploaded. And if you assembled the document from scans or photos in the first place, the Combine Images into One PDF tool merges them into a single ordered file before you add numbering.

Quick reference

With the Insert > Page Number field plus section breaks and Format Page Numbers for the exceptions, you can produce any numbering scheme Word supports, from a one-page memo to a numbered thesis with a Roman-numeral front section.