How to Add Slide Numbers in Google Slides (Skip the Title)

Slide numbers sound trivial until someone in a meeting says 'go back to the one with the chart' and nobody can find it. Google Slides adds them in a couple of clicks, and there are two options in that little dialog that most people miss: skipping title slides and numbering only the slides you choose.

How to add slide numbers in Google Slides

1. Open your presentation on a computer.
2. Click Insert, then Slide numbers.
3. Choose On.
4. Tick Skip title slides if you don't want a number on your title or section slides.
5. Click Apply.

Number only some slides

1. In the filmstrip on the left, select the slides you want numbered. Hold Ctrl on Windows or Command on a Mac to pick several.
2. Click Insert, then Slide numbers.
3. Click Apply to selected.

This is handy when your deck has an appendix or a set of backup slides you don't want counted.

How to remove slide numbers

Click Insert, then Slide numbers, choose Off and click Apply. To remove them from just some slides, select those slides first and use Apply to selected.

The catch: you can't do it on your phone

Google's help for Android, iPhone and iPad is clear that slide numbers have to be added from the computer version. If you're polishing a deck on your phone, you'll see existing numbers, but you can't switch them on. Open the presentation on a computer at slides.google.com, add them there, and they'll appear on every device.

Why your slide numbers aren't showing

Problem	Likely cause	Fix
No number on the title slide	Skip title slides is ticked	Untick it and apply again
Numbers missing on some slides	Those layouts have no slide number placeholder	Add one in the theme builder
Numbers hidden behind images	A picture or shape covers the corner	Move the image or send it backward
Numbers start from the wrong place	Title slides are skipped but still counted	Expected: skipped slides still count

That last one surprises people. Skipping title slides hides the number, but the slide still counts, so your first content slide may show 2, not 1.

Change how slide numbers look

Slide numbers sit in a placeholder set by your theme. To change their font, size, colour or position on every slide at once, go to Slide, then Edit theme. Select the slide number box on the main theme slide and style it. Changes there apply to every layout. Changing a number on one slide only changes that slide.

Slide numbers and skipped slides

Google Slides also has a Skip slide option, found by right-clicking a slide in the filmstrip. It hides the slide when you present, without deleting it. Skipped slides still count towards your numbering, and anyone you share the deck with can still find them, so don't use Skip slide to hide anything confidential. Delete it, or keep a separate copy of the deck.

When to use slide numbers

• Decks you'll send as a PDF, so readers can refer to pages.
• Training sessions, where people follow along and ask questions.
• Long reports and proposals, where clients reply with a slide number.
• Any presentation where someone else might take over the clicker.

For a short, visual talk you'll deliver yourself, numbers can be a distraction, so it's fine to leave them off.

Slide numbers in PDFs and printouts

When you download a deck as a PDF with File, then Download, then PDF document, the slide numbers come with it, exactly where they appear on screen. Check the corners before sending: a number that's readable on a big screen can be tiny on a printed handout. If you're printing with speaker notes, the slide numbers also make it easy to match each page of notes to the right slide.

Numbering when you've imported PowerPoint decks

Slides brought in from PowerPoint sometimes carry their own text box with a typed number, rather than Google's slide number placeholder. Those typed numbers don't change when you reorder slides, so they end up wrong. Delete them and use Insert, Slide numbers, so the numbering is automatic and stays right when slides move.

Slide numbers in presenter view

When you present, Google Slides shows the slide count in presenter view, so you always know where you are even if numbers are switched off on the slides themselves. That's a good reason to leave numbers off a short, visual talk: you get the benefit as the speaker without cluttering the screen for your audience. Turn them on when other people need to refer to slides, during the talk or afterwards.

If presenting makes you nervous, my guide to dealing with stage fright has practical tips.

My verdict

Insert, Slide numbers, Apply is all you need, with Skip title slides ticked for a cleaner look. Use Apply to selected to leave out appendices, style the numbers once in Edit theme, and do it on a computer because the phone apps can't add them. Remember skipped slides still count and can still be seen. For more on presenting well, see how to brief a speaker.

Frequently asked questions

How do I add page numbers in Google Slides?

Click Insert, then Slide numbers, choose On and click Apply.

How do I skip the title slide when numbering?

Tick Skip title slides in the Slide numbers dialog before applying.

Can I add slide numbers on my phone?

No. Google says you need to use the computer version at slides.google.com.

How do I number only certain slides?

Select those slides, then Insert, Slide numbers, Apply to selected.

Why does my first slide show number 2?

Skipped title slides still count towards the numbering.

How do I change the slide number font?

Go to Slide, Edit theme, and style the slide number box on the main theme slide.