How do you hide Numbering in Word?

How do you omit the page number on the final page of a Word document?

Table of Contents Show

Omitting first page numbers
Omitting last page numbers
How to Add Numbers to Headings
Important Notes
Related Resources
How do you make your page numbers invisible?
How do I make the first page number invisible?

I was asked this recently by someone who is using Lulu.com’s self-publishing service. Lulu had asked her to resubmit her book with a completely blank final page – no page number, nothing. Finding the solution to this seemingly simple request proved to be frustrating.

In fact, the solution is simple, but not entirely obvious.

Omitting first page numbers

Word certainly makes it easy to omit the page number on the first page of a document. For example, to begin numbering a document on page 2 using Word 2003:

Click on the first page of your document and then click Insert Menu -> Page Numbers to display the Page Numbers dialog box.
Select the positioning for your page numbers.
Uncheck ‘Show number on first page’.
If you’d like to display ‘1’ on page two (that is, you want to start the actual page numbering count on the second page), click Format and set the value of the Start At box to 0.

Here’s how to do the same thing in Word 2007:

Click the Insert tab and in the Header & Footer section click Page Number.
Click Top of Page, Bottom of Page or Page Margins to select a location for the numbering and select a numbering format from the gallery.
On the Design tab, check Different First Page.
To start the page numbering count on the second page, on the Design tab click Page Number -> Format Page Numbers and set the Start At control to 0.

An alternative method is to create a different first page header/footer in your document: simply use the ‘Different first page’ option in the Page Setup dialog. In Word 2003, it’s File -> Page Setup -> Layout tab -> Different first page; in Word 2007 it’s Page Layout tab -> Page Setup -> Layout tab -> Different First page.

Omitting last page numbers

Although things are not quite so obvious when you want to change the header or footer on the last page, it’s still easy to do and there are a number of ways to do it. The easiest methods involve creating the final page in a separate section.

Method 1: De-link the final section.

If you’re using Word 2003:

Create your document as usual with page numbering in your header or footer.
Go to the end of the last page containing text in your document.
Click Insert Menu -> Break.
In the Break dialog box, select Next Page in the Section break section and click OK. This will add a section break and a new page with the same page numbering format as the preceding pages.
Double-click in the Header or Footer. You should see the words ‘Same as previous’ above the header/footer.
Click the Link to Previous button on the Header and Footer toolbar. The ‘Same as previous’ message will vanish and you can now delete the contents of the Header/Footer and doing so will affect only the last page.

If you’re using Word 2007:

Create your document as usual with page numbering in your header or footer.
Go to the end of the last page containing text in your document.
Click Page Layout -> Breaks and, under Section Breaks, click Next Page.
Double-click in the Header or Footer. You should see the words ‘Same as previous’ above the header/footer.
Click the Link to Previous button on the Header and Footer toolbar, then edit the page header/footer as needed.

Method 2: Use a different ‘first’ page on the final section.

In Word 2003, follow steps 1 – 4 in the de-linking instructions above to add a single-page section at the end of your document. Then:

Click File Menu -> Page Setup -> Layout tab.
Check the ‘Different first page’ box.
In the Apply To drop-down box, select ‘This section’ and click OK.

If you’re using Word 2007, follow steps 1 – 3 in the de-linking instructions above and then:

Click Page Layout and click the Page Setup button (the arrow at the right of the Page Setup section).
On the Layout tab in the Page Setup dialog box, click ‘Different first page’. Make sure ‘This section’ is displayed in the Apply To box and click OK.

That’s not so hard, and it should be apparent that you can use similar techniques to add multiple sections to a document, each with its own page numbering format.

This tutorial shows how to add heading numbers in Microsoft Word. The heading numbers can include labels such as “Article,” “Section,” and “Chapter.”

We will also look at how to modify the numbers and labels attached to each heading level. For example, you may want to change “Article I” to “Proposal 1.”

Quick Links:

How to Add Heading Numbers
How to Modify Heading Numbers

This tutorial’s companion video shows all the steps in real time.

Watch more than 150 other writing-related software tutorials on my YouTube channel.

The images below are from Word for Microsoft 365. These steps also apply to Word for Microsoft 365 for Mac (a.k.a., Word for Mac), Word 2021, Word 2019, Word 2016, and Word 2013.

How to Add Numbers to Headings

Important Notes

This process is for existing headings created with Word’s built-in heading styles.
You don’t have to have every heading complete. However, the first Heading 1 level should already be inserted.
If you are new to working with headings or need a refresher, please see “How to Create and Customize Headings in Microsoft Word.”

Select the Heading 1 in your document.

Figure 1. Heading with level 1 style selected

Select the Home tab in the ribbon.

Figure 2. Home tab

Select the Multilevel List button in the Paragraph group.

Figure 3. Multilevel List button

Select a style from the List Library. Remember that you can modify these styles, so choose the one that is closest to the format you want.

Pro Tip: Hover over each option to see a larger example.

Figure 4. List Library

Your headings should now feature the multilevel list numbers.

Figure 5. Headings with Multilevel List numbers applied

These steps assume you have already added numbers to your headings, as shown in the section above.

Important Note: Word’s Multilevel List function includes many advanced options. This section features the options I believe are the most useful for the majority of people.

Select the first numbered heading in your document.
Select the Home tab in the ribbon (see figure 2).
Select the Multilevel List button in the Paragraph group (see figure 3).
Select Define New Multilevel List from the drop-down menu.

Figure 6. Define New Multilevel List option

Select a level in the Click level to modify menu in the Define new Multilevel List dialog box.

Figure 7. Click level to modify menu

1. Type the words, symbols, or punctuation before or after the number in the gray shading in the Enter formatting for number text box.

Important Note: Don’t delete or alter the number in the gray shading. If you delete or alter the number in the gray shading, the automatic numbering will stop functioning.

Pro Tip: If you add words, symbols, or punctuation after the number, also add a space after the final character so that a space appears before the heading text.

Figure 8. Enter formatting for number text box

(Optional) Choose a new number style from the Number style for this level menu.

Figure 9. Number style for this level menu

(Optional) Select the Font button to change the font, style, size, color, and other appearance options.

Figure 10. Font button

(Optional) Adjust the number position as necessary.

Figure 11. Position options

Select the More button.

Figure 12. More button

(Optional) Enter a different number in the Start at text box if you don’t want the level to start with the current number.

Figure 13. Start at text box

(Optional) Select Space, Tab character, or Nothing from the Follow number with menu. For most users, Space will be the best option. (The Tab character can put too much space between the number and label and the heading text.)

Figure 14. Follow number with menu

Select the next heading level that you want to modify in the Click level to modify text box (see figure 8).
Repeat steps 6 through 13, as necessary.
Select the OK button.

Figure 15. OK button

Your heading numbers should now be modified.

Figure 16. Headings with customized numbers

How to Add Heading Numbers to Table Titles and Figure Captions in Microsoft Word (PC & Mac)

How to Create a Custom Heading Style in Microsoft Word

How to Create a Custom Heading Style in Microsoft Word for Mac

Updated July 24, 2022

How do you make your page numbers invisible?

How to remove page numbers from the first page only in Word.

Click "Header.".

Select "Edit Header.".

Open the "Design" tab..

Check "Different First Page" from the "Options" group..

Choose "Close Header and Footer.".

Double-click on the header or footer containing the page number..

Highlight and delete the page number..

How do I make the first page number invisible?

Remove the page number from the first page Go to Insert > Header & Footer. SelectOptions on the right side, and then select Different First Page. Select Options again, and then select Remove Page Numbers. To see your page numbers and confirm deletion of the number from the first page, go to View > Reading View.