Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Word in Microsoft 365. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: Inserting the Total Number of Pages in Your Document.

Inserting the Total Number of Pages in Your Document

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated January 14, 2023)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Word in Microsoft 365

It is not unusual to put a page number in your headers or footers, and the different ways of accomplishing that task are covered in other issues of WordTips. You can also, however, insert a field that indicates the total number of pages in a document. This can be used in a header or footer or directly within the text of your document. To insert the total number of pages in your document, follow these steps:

Position the insertion point where you want the total number of pages to appear.
Make sure the Insert tab of the ribbon is selected.
In the Text group, click Quick Parts. You'll see a drop-down menu.
Choose Field. Word displays the Field dialog box.
In the Categories drop-down list, choose Document Information. (See Figure 1.)

Figure 1. The Field dialog box.

In the Field Names list choose NumPages. (If you don't see NumPages in the list, check either the Numbering category or the (All) category in step 5.)
Click on OK to close the dialog box and insert your field.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (980) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Word in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Inserting the Total Number of Pages in Your Document.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. Learn more about Allen...

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What is 3 + 9?

2024-05-25 16:38:35

Tom McLernon

This is helpful, I would never have guessed this. The "page number" is just a simple "insert" instruction, and then the obvious extension of that "number of pages" is a whole different set of hoops. Instead of being on the same "insert" menu as "Page Number". Where do they get these UI designers at MS, Apple is adamant about removing this kind of unintuitive crap from their product UIs, is this also in the Apple version of MS Word.

I know that you don't do the design of this, but if you have an ear at MS, maybe they might listen.

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