How to Add Slide Numbers in PowerPoint (and Skip the Title Slide)

Slide numbers sound like a tiny detail until someone in a meeting asks a question about "the one with the chart, a few back". With numbers on every slide, they can just say slide seven, and you can jump straight there. They're also a lifesaver when a client reviews a deck by email and wants to point at something specific.

PowerPoint hides the setting in a dialog box that isn't obvious, and the number can end up in odd places depending on your theme. Here's how to switch numbers on, skip the title slide, start from a different number and move them where you want them.

Turning on slide numbers in PowerPoint for Windows

1. Go to the Insert tab and click Slide Number.
2. In the box that opens, stay on the Slide tab and tick Slide number.
3. Tick Don't show on title slide if you'd like your cover slide left clean.
4. Click Apply to All.

The number appears in the placeholder your theme sets aside for it. Where that is depends on the design, so don't be surprised if it lands on the left, the right or the middle of the bottom edge.

Apply versus Apply to All for PowerPoint slide numbers

Those two buttons do different jobs. Microsoft's help explains that Apply to All adds the setting to every slide, while Apply only changes the slide or slides you've selected. If you only want numbers on part of a deck, select those slides in the thumbnail pane first, then use Apply.

You want	Do this
Numbers on every slide	Tick Slide number, then Apply to All
Numbers on every slide except the cover	Also tick Don't show on title slide, then Apply to All
Numbers on a few slides only	Select them first, tick Slide number, then Apply
No numbers at all	Clear Slide number, then Apply to All

Adding slide numbers in PowerPoint for Mac

On a Mac, the path is Insert, then Header & Footer. The Slide tab holds the same Slide number tick box, plus the option to skip the title slide. Choose Apply to All for the whole presentation or Apply for the selected slide.

Adding slide numbers in PowerPoint for the web

1. Select Insert, then Footer, then Slide Number for a quick number on every slide.
2. Or select Insert, Footer, Footer to open the Footer pane, where you can tick Slide Number alongside any footer text.
3. Select Don't show on title slide if you want to skip the cover.
4. Select Apply to All.

Microsoft points out that footer and number positions depend on the slide design in the web version too. Some designs place them at the top of the slide or down one side.

Starting PowerPoint slide numbers from a different number

This is handy when your deck follows on from another section, or when you've split a long training course into separate files. To change where the count begins:

1. Go to the Design tab.
2. In the Customize group, choose Slide Size, then Custom Slide Size.
3. Type your starting number in the Number slides from box.
4. Select OK.

It's easy to miss because it lives under Slide Size, which seems an unlikely home for a numbering option. Don't worry, though: changing the starting number here doesn't change the shape of your slides as long as you leave the size settings alone.

Moving slide numbers to a different spot in PowerPoint

If you'd rather have the number in a corner than wherever your theme put it, move it once on the Slide Master and every slide follows:

1. On the View tab, click Slide Master.
2. Click the large Slide Master thumbnail at the top of the left-hand pane.
3. Press and hold the page number placeholder until you see the four-headed arrow, then drag it to its new spot.
4. Click Close Master View.

While you're in the Slide Master, you can also select the number placeholder and change its font, size or colour from the Home tab, so it matches your branding.

Why PowerPoint slide numbers aren't showing

• You clicked Apply instead of Apply to All, so only one slide got a number.
• Don't show on title slide is ticked, and you're looking at the cover.
• The slide uses a layout without a number placeholder, which is common with blank or custom layouts. Check the matching layout in Slide Master view.
• The number is the same colour as your background. Select it in Slide Master and change the colour.
• On the web, your design may have put the number at the top or on one side rather than at the bottom.

If none of those fix it, Microsoft has a separate troubleshooting page for footers, which you can find from its PowerPoint help centre.

Slide numbers for client decks and branded PowerPoint templates

If you send proposals, reports or training decks, numbered slides make feedback far easier. Clients can write "change the headline on slide four" rather than describing it. I'd also set the number font and position on the Slide Master of your template, so every new deck you create starts looking consistent.

Plenty of small business owners design documents in Canva as well, and it has its own approach, covered in my guide to adding page numbers to a Canva design. For a matching look across both tools, it's worth adding your brand fonts to Canva too.

Frequently asked questions

How do I add slide numbers to all slides in PowerPoint?

On the Insert tab, click Slide Number, tick Slide number on the Slide tab and click Apply to All.

How do I remove the slide number from the title slide?

In the same box, tick Don't show on title slide, then click Apply to All.

Can I start slide numbers at a number other than 1?

Yes. On the Design tab, choose Slide Size, then Custom Slide Size, type your starting number in Number slides from and select OK.

Why is my slide number in a strange place?

Microsoft says the position depends on the slide design. Move it on the Slide Master by dragging the page number placeholder.

How do I remove slide numbers in PowerPoint?

Open Slide Number from the Insert tab, clear the Slide number box and click Apply to All.