This tutorial shows how to start page numbers on a specific page in Microsoft Word.
[Typewriter sounds]
Hello, my name is Erin.
Today’s tutorial shows how to start page numbers on a specific page in Microsoft Word.
If you’re new to working with page numbers or in need of a refresher,
please see my other tutorial titled “How to Add Page Numbers in Microsoft Word,”
which explains how to add and format page numbers,
remove the page number from the first page,
and start the second page with page number 1.
Today I’ll be using Word for Microsoft 365.
These steps will also work in Word for Mac
and in previous PC versions back to Word 2013,
although your interface may look different in those older versions of the software.
These steps don’t apply to Word for the web.
The following steps will work in documents with or without existing page numbers.
The sample document that I am using has several pages of front matter with existing page numbers in roman numerals.
To begin, select the Home tab in the ribbon.
Then, select the Show/Hide button to show your formatting marks.
Next, select the Layout tab in the ribbon.
Now, place your cursor at the very beginning of the page where you want the page numbers to start.
I want to stop using the roman numerals and start using my new page numbers here at Chapter 1.
Once your cursor is in place, select Breaks in the Page Setup group.
Followed by Next Page from the drop-down menu.
The section break should appear at the bottom of the previous page.
Next, double-click in the header or footer area of the page where you want the page numbers to start.
Double-clicking opens the Header & Footer tab, which only appears when the headers or footers are selected.
Deselect the Link to Previous button to disconnect the headers or footers in the section you just created from the previous section.
Now, select the Page Number button in the Header and Footer group.
And from there, select Format Page Numbers.
When the Page Number Format dialog box appears, select an option from the Number format menu
if you want to use a different format than your existing page numbers.
I no longer want to use the roman numerals, so I am going to choose this traditional format.
Next, select the "Start at" radio button.
And then enter the page number you want to start with in the "Start at" text box.
It’s important to note that you can enter a page number that doesn't physically exist in your document.
For example, if your document is nine pages long, you can still start with page number 90 if you want to.
Today I want my chapter 1 to start with page number 1.
When you’re finished, select the OK button.
If you have existing page numbers,
the section you just created should now start with the number you entered into the Page Number Format dialog box.
If you didn’t have existing page numbers, continue to add them as you normally would by selecting the Page Number button.
And then select a location to insert them from the drop-down menu.
Followed by additional location and style options from the submenu.
Note that the process for adding page numbers does look slightly different in Word for Mac.
When you’re finished, select the Close Header & Footer button.
You can then return to the Home tab.
And reselect the Show/Hide button to hide your formatting marks.
As always, remember to save your file to save your changes.
I have created many other videos about Microsoft Word including “How to Insert Headers & Footers in Microsoft Word.”
And, “How to Insert Section Breaks in Microsoft Word.”
Please see the complete list in the playlists titled “How to Use Microsoft Word”
and “How to Use Word for Mac” which are linked in the description box below.
All the steps we just performed are listed with images on erinwrightwriting.com,
along with all my other writing-related software tutorials to help you succeed at work and in the classroom.
Feel free to leave me a comment if there’s a specific topic that you would like me to talk about in the future.
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Thank you so much for watching!
[Typewriter sounds]