Word format wont work

Hi @Ava G, 

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum.  

First of all, I want to sincerely apologize for the frustration you're experiencing. Please, help me by staying patient, calm, and reading the email step-by-step. We will get through this. Please try your best to follow along. 

Since I’m just a forum moderator, I’m not provided with tools to directly chat with customers - only to respond via the platform. This is because Microsoft places a high priority on customer privacy and security. That said, I’ll do my best to guide you step by step. If anything is unclear, feel free to message me anytime. I’ll do my best to support you wholeheartedly.

I need to confirm: 

• Scenario 1: Delete page numbers on Page 1 and Page 2. Page numbers will start from Page 3 and will be numbered 3 (3, 4, 5...). 
• Scenario 2: Delete page numbers on Page 1 and Page 2. Page numbers will start from Page 3 and will be numbered 1 (1, 2, 3...). 

Also, please let me know your Word version: Go to File > Account > About Word. 

I have laid out two scenarios below. Please kindly help me review them: 

Scenario 1: If you want to remove the page number from the first two pages of your essay (two pages with no number), and Page 3 shows the number 3, then you will follow steps 1 through 3 below (in scenario 2) to create a break and delete the page numbers from pages 1 and 2. 

Scenario 2: If you want the page numbering to start from Page 3, meaning Page 3 is marked as Page 1. 

Based on my environment test, I followed the steps below. Please try to remain calm and follow along. 

Here is my version word. 

Step 1: Set Up "Different First Page" and "Section Break" 

• Place your cursor at the very end of the second page (after the content of page 2). 
• Go to the Layout tab. 
• Click Breaks. 
• Under Section Breaks > select Next Page. (This action creates a new section break starting at page 3) 

Step 2: Unlink Headers/Footers 

• Double-click in the Header or Footer area of the third page to open the "Header & Footer Tools" tab. 
• In the "Navigation" group > click "Link to Previous" button to turn it off (uncheck it). (This is the most critical step. It tells Word that the third page's section should not copy the header/footer from the second page's section.) 

Step 3: Delete Page Numbers on page 1 and page 2 

• Go to the Header/Footer of the first page (page 1) and delete any page numbers currently there. 
• Repeat this for the second page (page 2), if necessary. (Because page 1 and page 2 are in the same section, deleting the number on page 1 will usually delete it on page 2, unless you had already selected the "Different First Page" option.) 

Step 4: Insert and Format Page Numbers for page 3 

• Go back to the Header or Footer of the third page (page 3). 
• Go to the "Header & Footer Tools" tab and click Page Number. Choose where you want to insert the number (Bottom of Page). 
• After the page number is inserted, click Page Number > Format Page Numbers again. 
• In the window that appears, select Start at and enter the number 1 (since you want page 3 to be marked as page 1). 

Pages 1 and 2 of your document should now have no page numbers, and the rest of the document will start numbering from 1. 

Take your time to go through each step, and feel free to reply whenever you have a time. By the way, if you get stuck at any point while following the steps, just let me know, I’m here to support you whenever you're ready. 

Looking forward to your reply!  

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You need a section break at the end of the section break and then you need to unlink the header in section 1, after which you can add page numbering to the header of section 2. For all details, have a look at [http://wordfaqs.ssbarnhill.com/FrontMatterRibbon.htm] .