Word page numbers live in headers or footers. Basic numbering takes a few clicks, but skipping a cover page or restarting an appendix requires section and header/footer settings.
Does this affect you?
Use this for Word for Microsoft 365, Word 2021, and Word 2019 on Windows or Mac when numbering should appear on every page, skip page one, or restart in another section.
Add basic page numbers to every page
This works for straightforward documents.
- Open the Insert tab.
- Click Page Number in the Header & Footer group.
- Choose Top of Page, Bottom of Page, or Page Margins.
- Pick a style such as a centered plain number.
- Click back into the document body to close header/footer editing.
Numbers update automatically as pages are added or removed.
Skip the number on the cover page
Use Different First Page for a clean title page.
- Double-click the header or footer area where the page number appears.
- On the Header & Footer tab, check Different First Page.
- Confirm the number disappears from page 1.
- If page 2 should display as 1, open Insert > Page Number > Format Page Numbers.
- Choose Start at and enter 0.
- Close the header and footer.
Restart numbering in another section
Use this for appendices or front matter.
- Click at the start of the page where numbering should restart.
- Open Layout > Breaks > Next Page under Section Breaks.
- Double-click the header or footer in the new section.
- Turn off Link to Previous.
- Open Insert > Page Number > Format Page Numbers.
- Choose Start at and enter 1.
More control
Use roman numerals for front matter
In Format Page Numbers, use Number format to choose i, ii, iii for prefaces or tables of contents, then use a later section for normal 1, 2, 3 numbering.
Refresh fields after big edits
Select all with Ctrl+A or Cmd+A and press F9, or Fn+F9 on some Macs, to refresh page-number fields if they look stale.
Check Link to Previous first
Broken numbering across sections is often caused by Link to Previous being on or off incorrectly. Inspect each section header/footer before rebuilding the numbering.
Sources
- Microsoft Support – Insert page numbers (2025)
- Microsoft Support – Add different page numbers or number formats to different sections (2025)
- Microsoft Support – Start page numbering later in your document (2025)