- The simplest way to Number Pages in Word Starting on Page 2: Place the cursor at the end of page 1 > Go to “Layout,” click “Break,” and choose “New Page” under “Section Break” > Double-click page 2’s footer, click “Page Number,” set format, and start at 1.
- The fastest way to Number Pages in Word Starting on Page 2: In “Insert,” click “Page Number” > Choose style and location > Click “Format Page Numbers,” set “Start at” to 0 > To hide it, open the first page’s footer, and click “Different First Page” in the Design tab.
If you are writing a long document and wondering how to number pages in Word starting on page 2, then you came to the right place. In this article, we will show you how to do it with a step-by-step guide. Microsoft Word is a software that allows you to write documents and format them properly to help the readers understand them easily. MS Word is known for its high functionality. For example, there is a feature that allows you to add page numbering to pages. Word starts page numbering on page 1 by default. But there are many ways to number pages in Word starting on page 2.
Table of Contents
When You Should Insert Pages Numbering Starting on Page 2
Page numbering is a useful feature that allows you to assign a number to each page to get to it easily when you need it Instead of wasting your time looking for it, especially if the document is long such as a book or an academic paper. Word starts page numbering at page one by default, but in many cases, this doesn’t make sense. For example, the first page can be a cover page, an introduction, a dedication, or even a table of content. Therefore, you need to start page numbering at page 2 instead of page 1. In this article, you will find a step-by-step guide on page numbering starting on page 2.
How to Insert Page Numbering Starting on Page 2
There are two methods to number pages in Word starting on page 2. In this guide, you will learn both methods.
Method 1: Splitting the Document into Two Sections
The first method is quite simple; you can number pages in Word starting on page 2 by splitting the document into two sections using section breaks. Then, you insert page numbering in the second section.
Step one: Split the document into two parts using section breaks
Before you start numbering the document, you must divide it into two sections to enable the next step. You can do that using section breaks; here is how:
- Position your mouse cursor at the end of page one
- Go to the “layout” tab and click on the “Break” button.
- In the drop-down list that will appear, click on “new page” under the “section break” section. Now, you have successfully inserted a section break, and the next page( page 2) will be in a new section.
Step two: “insert” page numbering
Now that you have spelt your document into two separate sections, it’s time to add page numbering. To do that, follow those instructions:
- Double click the footer of page 2 and from the design tab that appears go to the footer and heard section then click the “Page Number” button
- From the list choose “format page numbers”. Note that from this menu, you can choose to adjust where the number will appear on the pages.
- From the window that appears, choose your proper numbering format. Also, Word will start numbering from 2 by default. If you want to start numbering with page number 1, make sure to go page numbering section in the window and choose “start at” and enter 1 in the space.
Method 2: Different First Page
There is another method to number pages in Word starting on page 2. Actually, it’s easier than the first method, but it only can work if you want to start numbering on page 2 and not on any other page in the document.
- Go to the “Insert” tab and click on the “Page Number” button in the “ Header &Footer” section.
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header footer page number button
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- From the drop-down list choose the numbering style and where it should appear on the page.
- Click on the “Format Page Numbers” button in the drop-down list.
- A window will open and from which set “start at” to 0 and click OK.
- After that, the number will appear at the start from at 0 on the first page. To hide it open the Footer of the first page (you can do that by double-clicking it), and click on the “Different First Page” button in the Design tab. And it’s done!
Supported Microsoft Word Versions
- Word for Microsoft 365 & Word for Microsoft 365 for Mac
- Word for the web Word 2021 & Word 2021 for Mac
- Word 2019 & Word 2019 for Mac
- Word 2016 & Word 2016 for Mac
- Word 2013 & Word 2010
- Word for Mac 2011
Conclusion
In conclusion, page numbering is a useful feature that makes the document easier to read. Word start page numbering on page 1. but in a lot of cases, starting page numbering on page 1 doesn’t make sense. For example, if the first page is a cover page or a table of content. In these cases, the first page should stay without numbering. You can number pages in Word starting on page 2 using two methods. Whether you split the document into two parts using section breaks and then insert page numbers in the second half. Or you can start numbering on page 1, but you assign it to 0 and then hide it. Both ways work just fine.