Inserting the Line Number of a Bookmark

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated April 19, 2025)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Word in Microsoft 365

Hasan has a document that includes a bookmark. He wonders if there is a field he can use to indicate the line number on which the bookmark occurs.

The short answer is no, there is not a way to do this in Word. You can obviously turn on line numbering, jump to the bookmark, and note the line number on which it occurs. Since Hasan wants a field to indicate this line number, though, it seems like he ways a way to reference that line number elsewhere.

A field would be helpful to do this, but since none exists, you need to rely on a workaround using a macro. Here's a simple macro that could do the trick:

Sub TypeBookmarkLineNumber()
    Dim bm As Bookmark
    Dim bmRange As Range
    Dim lineNumber As Long

    Set bm = ActiveDocument.Bookmarks("MBN")
    Set bmRange = bm.Range
    lineNumber = bmRange.Information(wdFirstCharacterLineNumber)

    Selection.TypeText lineNumber & " "
End Sub

This macro assumes a couple of things. First, it assumes that you want the line number for a bookmark named "MBN." Second, it assumes that you want the line number entered in the document at the location of the insertion point.

A macro such as this is not as automatic as a field; it must be run every time you want the line number. (Obviously, this may mean deleting the line number generated by the macro the last time you ran it.) Plus, if the MBN bookmark stretches over more than a single line, it is only the line number of the first character in the bookmark that is entered in the document.

Note:

If you would like to know how to use the macros described on this page (or on any other page on the WordTips sites), I've prepared a special page that includes helpful information. Click here to open that special page in a new browser tab.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (9452) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Word in Microsoft 365.

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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