How to Add Page Numbers in Word Starting on Page 2

To add page numbers in Word from the second page, insert a page number, then turn on Different First Page in the header or footer. This hides the number on page one while leaving page two numbered. By default, page two displays 2; if you want it to display 1 instead, change the page-number starting value to 0. The steps below are for Microsoft Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows, with Mac notes where the controls differ.

What You’ll Need

A Word document with at least two pages. If it currently has one page, add enough text or a page break to create a second page.
Permission to edit the document. If it is read-only or protected, you may need to save an editable copy or ask the owner to allow changes.
A choice about what page two should show: the number 2 to match its physical position, or the number 1 to begin visible numbering there.

Step-by-Step

Open the document and choose where the numbers should appear. Page numbers are usually placed in the header at the top or the footer at the bottom. If the document has a title page, check its layout and any existing header or footer before editing. Double-clicking near the top or bottom of a page opens that area, but you can also use the Insert tab to add a number directly.
Insert a page-number style. On Windows, select Insert > Page Number, then choose Top of Page or Bottom of Page. Pick a plain style and alignment that suit the document, such as a centered number or a simple number at the outer edge. Word inserts a live page-number field, not a number typed as ordinary text, so it can update as pages are added or removed.
Open the header or footer tools. After insertion, Word opens the contextual Header & Footer tab. If it does not appear, double-click inside the header or footer containing the number. Look for the option labeled Different First Page and select its checkbox. On a Mac, insert the number from Insert > Page Number, then use the Header & Footer tab’s Different First Page option. The exact placement of controls can vary slightly by Word version.
Check that page one is blank and page two has a number. Click Close Header and Footer, or double-click in the document body. Page one should no longer display a number, while page two should show 2 if the document uses the normal sequence. Scroll through a few later pages to make sure the numbering continues as expected.
Optional: make page two display 1. If the first physical page is a cover and you want the first numbered page to be labeled 1, open Insert > Page Number > Format Page Numbers. Under Page numbering, select Start at and enter 0, then select OK. With Different First Page turned on, the zero is hidden on page one and page two displays 1. This changes the displayed sequence; it does not remove or renumber the physical pages in the document.
Save and verify the document. Use File > Save, then inspect the pages in Print Layout or open File > Print to preview the result. Check the first two pages and one later page. If the file will be shared as a PDF, export or save a copy as PDF and check that the numbers appear correctly there too.

Why this works: Different First Page gives page one a separate header and footer from the rest of the document. Word can therefore leave that first-page area empty while retaining the page-number field in the regular header or footer used from page two onward. You do not need to delete the number manually from the first page.

Common Mistakes

Deleting the first number instead of using Different First Page. A page number is a field connected to the header or footer. Removing it directly can remove the number from every page that shares that area. Turn on the first-page option instead of selecting and deleting the visible number.
Expecting page two to say 1 without changing the sequence. Hiding the first page does not automatically restart numbering. The default is for page two to show 2. Use the Format Page Numbers dialog and set Start at 0 only when the second physical page should be labeled 1.
Typing a number rather than inserting a page-number field. A typed 2 stays 2 on every page and will not update when the document changes. Insert a number through the Page Number menu so Word creates a field that reflects each page’s position.
Editing the wrong header or footer. A document can contain multiple sections, and each section may have separate first-page, odd-page, or even-page headers and footers. If a change affects only some pages, check which section you are editing and whether its header is linked to the previous section.
Adding a section break unnecessarily. For a simple cover page followed by numbered pages, Different First Page is usually enough. Extra section breaks can create separate numbering settings or blank pages if they are inserted in the wrong place.

Tips

Decide whether the cover counts. For a report whose cover is physical page one but has no visible number, the usual sequence is to show 2 on the next page. For a paper whose first content page should be labeled 1, use the Start at 0 method.
Keep the number clear of the text. Choose a built-in header or footer style with enough spacing from the main content. If the number is too close to the edge, open the header or footer and adjust its position or the page margins using the Layout tab.
Use the same position throughout. A consistent location, such as the bottom center or bottom outside corner, makes a long document easier to navigate. Avoid manually placing separate text boxes on individual pages.
Check section boundaries in longer documents. If a report has chapters or front matter separated by section breaks, click in a page from each section and inspect its header or footer. Different First Page applies to the first page of a section, not necessarily just the first page of the entire file.
Update the table of contents separately. Page-number fields in headers and footers update as pagination changes, but a table of contents may need refreshing. Right-click the table and choose Update Field, then select whether to update page numbers or the entire table.

Troubleshooting

The number is still visible on page one. Double-click the first page’s header or footer and confirm that Different First Page is checked on the Header & Footer tab. If the document has sections, page one may be in a section with a different header or footer setup. Check the section where the unwanted number appears, and remove the number from that first-page area if necessary without deleting the field from the regular pages.

Page two is blank, or its number is missing. Open the header or footer on page two. If the area is empty, insert the page-number field there. Look at the Header & Footer tab for labels such as First Page Header or First Page Footer; if page two is the start of a new section, its first-page setting may be hiding the number. Turn off Different First Page for that section if it should display a number on its first page.

Every page shows the same number. The number may have been typed as text, rather than inserted as a field. Delete the repeated text and use Insert > Page Number to add a dynamic number. If the number is a field but appears not to refresh, select the document’s content with Ctrl+A on Windows and press F9 to update fields. On Mac, use Command+A and then Fn+F9 on keyboards where the function keys control system features; menu options for updating fields may also be available by right-clicking the field.

Numbering restarts or skips unexpectedly. Click in the affected section and go to Insert > Page Number > Format Page Numbers. Check whether Continue from previous section or Start at is selected. Choose Continue from previous section for a continuous sequence, or set a start value only if a restart is intentional. Also inspect section breaks, since a new section can have its own numbering format.

Changing one page changes several pages. This is normal when those pages share a header or footer. To make a different layout for a later part, insert a section break from Layout > Breaks, choose the appropriate Next Page section break, and then adjust that section’s header or footer. Use Link to Previous on the Header & Footer tab to control whether it inherits the earlier section’s content. Make a backup first if the document has complex formatting.

The number disappears in the PDF. Check the Word print preview and confirm you exported the updated document. In the PDF export or save process, include the document’s pages rather than a custom range that omits them. If it still disappears, inspect whether the number is in a first-page or section-specific footer that is not active on the pages being exported.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can page two show 1 while page one has no number?
Yes. Turn on Different First Page, then open Insert > Page Number > Format Page Numbers and set Start at to 0. Page one’s 0 is hidden, and page two displays 1.

Can page two show 2 instead?
Yes. Insert the page number and enable Different First Page, but leave the numbering format at its default starting value of 1. The first page is hidden and the second page displays 2.

Do these instructions work in Word for the web?
Word for the web supports basic page-number insertion and first-page header or footer options, though menus and formatting controls can differ from the desktop app. If you cannot find Format Page Numbers or need section-specific numbering, open the document in the Microsoft 365 desktop version of Word.

Does Different First Page hide the number on every section’s first page?
It can. The setting applies to the section you are editing, and a document with multiple sections may have separate settings for each one. Check section boundaries if a chapter-opening page loses its number unexpectedly.

Can I put the number at the top on some pages and the bottom on others?
Yes, but this usually requires separate sections with unlinked headers or footers. For a standard document, keep the number in one consistent location; use section breaks only when a different layout is genuinely needed.

Try it: the Date Difference Calculator: days, months, years and weekdays between two dates, with the DATEDIF formulas.

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