How to Add Page Numbers in Word, Skip the Cover Page (2026)

Nobody notices page numbers until they're missing. Then a client prints your report, drops it, and has no idea which sheet comes next. For anything longer than a couple of pages, whether it's a proposal, a manual or a handbook for your team, numbers are what make a printout usable.

Here's what Microsoft's support page says, including the little tricks for hiding the number on the cover and starting the count later. I've stuck to what the page covers and I'll point out where it goes quiet.

Putting page numbers into a Word document on Windows

1. Go to the Insert tab.
2. Open Page Number and choose where you want the number to sit and which style you like.
3. When you're done, select Close Header and Footer, or press Esc.

Microsoft adds a handy tip: to change a header or footer later, double-click in that area and it opens again. That's how you come back to adjust the number's size or position without redoing the whole thing.

Adding page numbers in Word for Mac

The Mac version of Microsoft's steps runs a little differently:

1. On the Insert tab, open Page Number and choose Page Number.
2. Pick a location and an alignment style. Microsoft says Word numbers every page, except designated title pages.
3. To change the numbering style, select Format on the top toolbar.
4. Select OK twice to close both dialog boxes.

Menus vary by version, so if your toolbar looks different from this, use the Insert tab and look for Page Number.

Leaving the page number off the cover page in Word

A numbered title page looks clumsy. On Windows, Microsoft's route is to select Different First Page on the Header & Footer tab. The first page then carries no number, while the rest keep theirs.

It's worth doing before you send anything to a client. A clean first page makes the whole document feel more deliberate.

Starting page numbers from a different number in Word

Here's the trick that confuses people. If you want the page after the cover to read as page one, Microsoft says to go to Page Number, then Format Page Numbers, and set Start at to 0. With a hidden number on the first page, the second page then starts counting from 1.

What you want	What Microsoft's page says to do
Numbers on every page	Insert, Page Number, pick a location and style
No number on the cover	Select Different First Page on the Header & Footer tab
Page two to be page 1	Page Number, Format Page Numbers, Start at 0
Finish and return to the text	Close Header and Footer, or press Esc
Change it later	Double-click the header or footer area

Choosing where the page number sits in Word

The Page Number menu asks for a location first, and the sensible choice depends on the document. Bottom-of-page numbers feel traditional and stay out of the way. Top-of-page numbers suit documents that sit in a ring binder, where people flick through and read from the top edge.

For a report you'll put your name or company in the header of, keep the number in the footer so the two don't fight. If you're writing for readers who will print on both sides, glance at your page margins too. My piece on setting margins in Google Docs covers the thinking, and Word's own Layout, Margins menu does the same job.

What Microsoft's Word page numbering article doesn't cover

It's worth being straight about the gaps. The page I've followed gives no steps for Word for the web, nothing on showing a 'page X of Y' style, and nothing on removing numbers. Microsoft links to a separate article called Page numbering in Word for more. If you need those, I'd open that article and follow its steps for your version rather than trust a guess from me.

If you work across both tools, the Google equivalent is in my guide to adding page numbers in Google Docs.

A quick routine for numbering a client document in Word

When I'm tidying a document that's going out to a client, I follow the same short routine, and it works fine with Microsoft's steps:

1. Finish the writing first, so the pages stop moving around.
2. Add the numbers through Insert, Page Number, in the footer.
3. Hide the number on the cover with Different First Page.
4. If the cover and contents page shouldn't count, set Start at to 0 as Microsoft describes.
5. Scroll through every page once before you save or print.

That last step is the one people skip. A number that's slipped partway through a document is easy to spot when you scroll, and very awkward to explain once a client has printed it. It also helps to have a table at the front if the document is long, so readers can jump to the right page.

Fixing page numbers in Word that look wrong

• Numbers don't appear: check you picked a location from the Page Number menu, then look at the header and footer areas of the page.
• The cover shows a number: select Different First Page on the Header & Footer tab.
• The count starts at the wrong number: use Format Page Numbers and change Start at.
• You can't edit the number: double-click the header or footer area to open it.
• It changes partway through: the document may contain sections, so see my guide to deleting a page in Google Docs for the page-flow thinking, then check each section in Word.

Frequently asked questions

How do I add page numbers in Word?

On the Insert tab, open Page Number and choose a location and style. Then select Close Header and Footer, or press Esc.

How do I stop the first page showing a number in Word?

On Windows, select Different First Page on the Header & Footer tab. On Mac, Microsoft says Word numbers every page except designated title pages.

How do I make page two start at page 1?

Go to Page Number, then Format Page Numbers, and set Start at to 0. With the cover hidden, the next page then reads as 1.

How do I edit page numbers later?

Double-click in the header or footer area to open it again.

Does Microsoft's page cover Word for the web?

No. The page I followed has steps for Windows and Mac only, so menus vary if you use the web version.