How to Put Slide Numbers in PowerPoint on Every Slide

To put slide numbers in PowerPoint, open Insert > Slide Number, check Slide number, then select Apply to All. You can also leave the title slide unnumbered and adjust the number’s position or style. The steps below are for PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 on Windows; Mac labels can differ slightly.

What You’ll Need

A PowerPoint presentation that you can edit. Save a copy first if you want to keep an untouched version.
PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 on Windows or Mac. If you are using PowerPoint for the web and cannot find a control described here, open the presentation in the desktop app.

Step-by-Step

Open the presentation and choose where numbers should appear. Open the deck in PowerPoint and decide whether the opening title slide should have a number. Slide numbers are useful for referring to a particular slide during a talk, taking questions, or sharing a printed presentation. The number is a field managed by PowerPoint, so it updates according to a slide’s position rather than requiring you to type each number yourself.
Open the slide-number controls. In PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 on Windows, select the Insert tab, then choose Slide Number in the Text group. You can also choose Insert > Header & Footer. In the dialog box, make sure the Slide tab is selected. On a Mac, use Insert > Slide Number or Insert > Header & Footer; the dialog and button placement may look a little different depending on the PowerPoint version.
Turn on slide numbering. In the Header and Footer dialog, check the box beside Slide number. This tells PowerPoint to display its slide-number field on slides that use a layout with a number placeholder. Do not type a number into a text box as a substitute: typed numbers are just text and will not adjust when you insert, move, or delete slides.
Decide whether to number the title slide. If the first slide is a cover or title page, check Don’t show on title slide. This hides the number only on the first slide; it does not remove that slide from the presentation or renumber the slides that follow. If you want a number on the title slide too, leave the option unchecked. The checkbox appears in the same dialog as the slide-number setting.
Apply the setting to the whole deck. Select Apply to All to place the number on all applicable slides. Choosing Apply instead applies the setting only to the currently selected slide. If you choose that by mistake, open the dialog again and use Apply to All. Close the dialog when finished.
Check that the numbers are visible. Look over several slides in Normal view, including a slide with a different design or layout. Start the slide show using Slide Show > From Beginning or press F5 on Windows. On Mac, the slide-show keyboard shortcut can vary with keyboard settings; you can use the Slide Show tab instead. Confirm that the number is readable and not covered by a footer, image, or other element.
Adjust the number’s position or appearance if needed. Choose View > Slide Master. In the thumbnail pane, select the layout used by the slides that need adjustment. Find the slide-number placeholder, often shown as <#>, and move or format it like other text or placeholders. If you cannot find a number placeholder, select the relevant master or layout, open the Slide Master tab, choose Master Layout, and make sure Slide number is enabled. Close Master View when you are done. Repeat for other layouts if the deck uses several layouts with different designs.
Change the number shown on the first slide if necessary. By default, PowerPoint counts the first slide as 1. To use a different starting number, choose Design > Slide Size > Custom Slide Size on Windows and change Number slides from. The wording or location may differ on Mac, where the slide-size or page-setup dialog contains the starting-number control. For example, if the title slide is hidden from numbering and you want the next slide to display 1, set the starting number to 0. Check the result afterward, since changing this setting changes the numbering base for the presentation.

Common Mistakes

Choosing Apply instead of Apply to All. Apply is useful when you intentionally want a number on only one selected slide, but it is not the choice for numbering a complete deck. If numbers appear on only one slide, reopen the Header and Footer dialog and select Apply to All.

Typing numbers into text boxes. Manually entering 1, 2, and 3 may seem quick for a short deck, but the sequence becomes incorrect when slides are reordered or added. Use the built-in Slide number checkbox so PowerPoint maintains the field.

Assuming the title slide is removed from the count. Don’t show on title slide hides the visible number on the first slide; it does not make the second slide number 1. If you need the second slide to show 1, adjust the starting number as described above.

Forgetting the slide master or layout. Checking Slide number and applying to all may not be enough if the active theme or layout has its number placeholder turned off. A number can also be present but hard to see because it sits outside the slide edge, matches the background color, or is covered by another object.

Checking just one slide. A deck can use multiple layouts. A number may appear on standard content slides but be missing from a section divider or image-heavy slide because that layout handles placeholders differently. Review representative slides from each layout.

Tips

Place numbers where viewers can find them without competing with the slide’s main message. A lower corner is common, but keep the number inside the slide boundary and away from important captions or charts. Use a font size and color that remain readable against the background; a subtle number that disappears on a projector is not useful.

If the deck uses a theme, make adjustments in Slide Master view instead of dragging the number separately on every slide. Changing the placeholder on a layout can update slides that use that layout and helps keep placement consistent. If the presentation has several layouts, inspect each one that should display a number. A change to the top-level master may not override a layout with its own customized placeholder.

Hidden slides generally remain part of the presentation’s slide sequence. Their position can affect the numbers displayed on slides after them, even though the hidden slides are skipped during a normal slide show. If numbering must match a handout or agenda that omits certain slides, check the displayed sequence rather than assuming hidden slides no longer count.

For a presentation that will be printed, preview it after adding numbers. Choose File > Print and inspect the print preview for the selected layout, especially if you are printing multiple slides per page. Slide numbers are content on each slide; they are not the same as the page numbers that might appear on a printed handout or notes page.

Troubleshooting

No numbers appear anywhere: Open Insert > Slide Number, check Slide number, and choose Apply to All. Then open View > Slide Master and confirm the number placeholder is enabled in the layouts you use. In Master Layout, turn on Slide number if necessary, close Master View, and check the slides again.

Numbers appear on some slides but not others: The affected slides may use a layout without an active number placeholder, or a layout may place the number behind another object. In Normal view, select a slide that is missing its number and note its layout. Open Slide Master view, select that specific layout, and check the placeholder, its position, and its text color. If several layouts are in use, repeat the check for each one.

The title slide still has a number: Reopen the Header and Footer dialog and check Don’t show on title slide, then choose Apply to All. Also make sure the first slide is using the presentation’s title-slide layout. If someone manually typed a number on the slide, the checkbox will not remove that text; select and delete the typed text separately.

The number is present but hard to see: In Slide Master view, select the number placeholder on the relevant layout. Move it inside the slide, increase its font size, or change its font color. Check for a background graphic or footer object that overlaps it. If only one slide is affected, inspect that slide in Normal view for an object placed on top of the placeholder.

The sequence looks one number too high: Confirm whether the title slide is being displayed without a number and remember that it still counts as the first slide. If you want the second slide to show 1, change Number slides from to 0 in the Custom Slide Size dialog. If the mismatch follows a hidden slide, account for that slide in the sequence too.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I add slide numbers to all slides at once?

Yes. Select Insert > Slide Number, check Slide number, and choose Apply to All. Slides with layouts that lack an enabled number placeholder may still need a Slide Master adjustment.

How do I add a number to only one slide?

Select that slide, open the Header and Footer dialog, check Slide number, and select Apply rather than Apply to All. This applies the change to the selected slide only.

Can I start numbering from 1 on the second slide?

Yes. If the title slide is not numbered, set Number slides from to 0 in the Custom Slide Size dialog. The first slide remains unnumbered, and the next slide displays 1.

Can I change the font or location of the slide number?

Yes. Use View > Slide Master, select the layout, and edit its slide-number placeholder. You can move it, change its font, size, or color, and then close Master View. Check each layout used by the deck.

Do slide numbers appear on printed handouts?

Slide numbers are part of the slide itself and normally appear when that slide is printed. Handout page numbers are separate; check the print preview and the handout header and footer options if you also need page numbers on printed sheets.

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

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