Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. 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: Adding Page Numbers.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated December 8, 2023)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021
If you are creating documents that are more than a page or two in length, you will probably want to include page numbers so you can keep your document, when printed, in order. Word supports automatic numbering of pages in your document and you can control the type of page number, the starting number, and the placement of the page number. In addition, you can include page numbers in the headers and footers on your pages.
The easiest way to add page numbers is to use the Insert tab of the ribbon. In the Header & Footer group you'll notice the Page Number tool. When you click the tool you are presented with a variety of ways in which you can insert your page numbers. These options are presented in several groups:
All told there are well over 100 different ways that you can insert formatted page numbers in your document. All you need to do is pick the one you want, and Word does the rest.
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (8378) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Adding Page Numbers.
Learning Made Easy! Quickly teach yourself how to format, publish, and share your content using Word 2021 or Microsoft 365. With Step by Step, you set the pace, building and practicing the skills you need, just when you need them! Check out Microsoft Word Step by Step today!
Figuring out how you want the text in your document to appear on the printed page can sometimes be a bit perplexing. Word ...
Discover MoreWord allows you to specify the starting page number for a document, which comes in handy if you have multiple documents ...
Discover MoreEnter a page break in Word, and that page break may not appear on the screen as you expect it to appear. This has to do ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2019-04-20 13:06:45
Galen Currah
When Word inserts page numbers, it also inserts a second carriage-return (blank line) after the number, pushing the page number upwards by a full line. In order to bring the page number back down, double-click inside the header or footer, then single-click in the blank line beneath the page number, and press the Backspace key.
2019-04-20 13:01:14
Patty
I work in documents that have to have section breaks, usually because of changing to landscape and back to accommodate tables and figures. So... page numbering starts at 1 again. Pain to have to fix. I find page numbering one of the worst (of many) problems in Word... BTW, I don't use macros... seems so complicated now.
Got a version of Word that uses the ribbon interface (Word 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the menu interface.
Visit the WordTips channel on YouTube
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2026 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. 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:
Comments