Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, 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 Page Number Cross-References.

Inserting Page Number Cross-References

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated June 14, 2025)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Word in Microsoft 365

Word includes the capacity to add cross-references to page numbers in your document. For instance, you can insert a field that will automatically refer to a bookmark on another page. If the page number containing the bookmark changes, the page number cross-reference changes as well. To insert a page number cross-reference, follow these steps:

Insert a bookmark on the page containing the information you want to cross-reference.
Position the insertion point where you want the cross-reference to occur.
Press Ctrl+F9 to insert field brackets. Make sure the insertion point stays between the brackets.
Type pageref followed by the bookmark name used in step 1.
Press F9 to update the field information.

If you edit the document after inserting the field and you want to make sure that the field results are accurate, all you need to do is to press Ctrl+A to select the entire document and then press F9.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (11463) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Word in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Inserting Page Number Cross-References.

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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