How to Put Page Numbers on Certain Pages for Microsoft Word

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Control your page numbers in Microsoft Word.

If you are creating a Word document where you'd like some pages to be numbered and some not, you may be frustrated when you add page numbers in the header or footer because they will appear on every page of the document. Adding page numbers to only certain pages involves creating section breaks in your document where you can format the page numbers differently. Add pages numbers to your document first, then break it into sections and remove and add pages numbers as necessary.

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Insert Page Numbers

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Step 1

Select the "Insert" tab on the Microsoft Word ribbon and click "Page Number," which is located in the "Header and Footer" group.

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Step 2

Select the position where you want the page numbers displayed by rolling your cursor over that option.

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Step 3

Select the page-number design from the gallery of options available.

Format Page Numbers With Section Breaks

Step 1

Place the cursor at the top of a page on which you want to change the page number, before the text begins. If you are doing this in more than one section of the document, start at the top of the document and work your way down.

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Step 2

Select the "Page Layout" tab on the Microsoft Word ribbon, and click "Breaks" in the "Page Setup" group.

Step 3

Click "Next Page" under "Section Breaks." This will create a new section where your formatting can be different.

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Step 4

Double-click on the header or footer area where the page number is.

Step 5

Locate the "Link to Previous" button in the "Navigation" group on the "Design" tab for the header or footer. It should not be selected or highlighted; click on it to deselect it.

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Step 6

Delete the page number in the header or footer.

Step 7

Double-click on the page where you want page numbers to start again and begin another section in the same manner. Click "Next Page" in "Section Breaks" on the "Page Layout" tab.

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Step 8

Double-click in the header or footer area where you want to display the page number.

Step 9

Locate the "Link to Previous" button in the "Navigation" group on the "Design" tab for the header or footer. It should not be selected or highlighted; click on it to deselect it.

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Step 10

Click "Page Number" on the "Insert" tab in the "Header and Footer" group, and select the page numbers you want. Word will begin numbering pages again, still counting the pages on which you omitted the numbers. Repeat the process as necessary.

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