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: Changing the Type of Page Numbers Used in Headers or Footers.

Changing the Type of Page Numbers Used in Headers or Footers

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated August 14, 2021)

As you already know, Word allows you to make page numbers a part of your headers or footers. After adding the page numbers, you may want to change the type of page numbers used. Word allows you to use several different types of page numbers, as follows:

Type		Selection
Arabic		1, 2, 3...
Arabic with Dashes		- 1 -, - 2 -, - 3 -...
Uppercase Roman		I, II, III...
Lowercase Roman		i, ii, iii...
Uppercase Alphabetic		A, B, C...
Lowercase Alphabetic		a, b, c...

To change the format of your page numbers, follow these steps:

Position the insertion point in the section of your document whose page numbers you wish to change.
Display the Insert tab of the ribbon.
Click the Page Number tool in the Header & Footer group. Word displays some page number options.
Choose Format Page Numbers. Word displays the Page Number Format dialog box. (See Figure 1.)

Figure 1. The Page Number Format dialog box.

Select the numbering format you wish to use from the Number Format list. The table (above) indicates the available types of formats.
Click on OK.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (9923) 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: Changing the Type of Page Numbers Used in Headers or Footers.

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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