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: Repaginating Your Document in a Macro.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated May 9, 2020)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021
It is common to use macros to modify documents in some way. For instance, you might use a macro to insert text or to insert page, column or section breaks. Doing any of these actions can affect the pagination of a document, sometimes dramatically. If you modify the document using a macro, and then try to determine the page count of the document (using the BuiltInDocumentProperties property), Word will not return the proper number of pages. Instead, it will return the page count before the changes were made.
The solution is to always make sure that you force Word to repaginate before trying to determine the page count. The following method will do the repagination:
ActiveDocument.Repaginate
After this method has been executed, you can safely (and confidently) use the BuiltInDocumentProperties property to determine the current page count.
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (9597) 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: Repaginating Your Document in a Macro.
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!
If you need to determine a random value in a macro, you can do so using the Rnd function. This tip presents the syntax ...
Discover MoreDo you routinely need to work with tomorrow's date? Why not create a template that automatically adds tomorrow's date to ...
Discover MoreIf you write a macro that makes changes to a document, you may want that macro to save those changes. There are several ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)
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