To start page numbering from a specific page in Microsoft Word, follow these steps:
Step 1: Insert a Section Break
- Go to the page before the one where you want numbering to start.
- Click the Layout tab.
- Select Breaks and choose Next Page under Section Breaks. This creates a new section starting on the page where numbering will begin
Step 2: Unlink the Header/Footer
- Double-click the header or footer area on the page where numbering should start.
- In the Header & Footer tab, click Link to Previous to turn it off. This breaks the connection to the previous section’s header/footer, allowing independent page numbering
Step 3: Insert Page Numbers
- While still in the header or footer, go to the Insert tab.
- Click Page Number and choose the position and style for your page numbers. The page numbers will appear in this section only
Step 4: Set the Starting Page Number
- Click Page Number again and select Format Page Numbers.
- In the dialog box, under Page numbering , select Start at and enter the number you want (usually 1).
- Click OK to apply. The numbering will start from this page with the number you set
Step 5: Remove Page Numbers from Previous Section (Optional)
- Go to the earlier section(s) where you don’t want page numbers.
- Delete the page numbers from the header or footer if they appear there
This method allows you to have unnumbered pages (like a cover or table of contents) and start numbering from a specific page with your chosen starting number. It is applicable to recent versions of Microsoft Word (2016, 2019, 365)
