Unable to make Word autofill page numbers

Mick B 20 Reputation points
2026-07-28T20:39:43.3066667+00:00

Several MS agents were unable to help. In my Word Doc, I want to number the pages, starting with the first page, after a section break. I've tried many ways, but it won't fill in page numbers on all the remaining pages.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For business | Windows
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Stefan Blom 352.1K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
2026-07-29T19:43:12.3033333+00:00

Each Word document has three footers (and three headers) per section. These are all available if you have selected both "Different first page" and "Different odd and even" in Page Setup (or the corresponding options on the Header & Footer Tools ribbon tab).

Linking (or unlinking) applies between sections and it applies per footer type (and similarly for headers, but you can ignore those for now, assuming that you want the page numbers in the footer only). For example, the first page footer of section 1 can be linked to (or unlinked from) the first page footer of section 2.

If all of your footers are unlinked, then you need to add the page number three times per section.

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  1. Charles Kenyon 170.8K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2026-07-29T05:15:12.8166667+00:00

    See Word MVP Suzanne Barnhill's page on Numbering Front matter: http://wordfaqs.ssbarnhill.com/FrontMatterRibbon.htm

    To understand what happens you need a feel for sections and headers and footers.

    References:

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  2. Hendrix-C 19,990 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-07-28T21:26:34.3866667+00:00

    Hi Mick,

    Please notify me if I have misunderstood anything about your situation.

    For a standard method to add page numbers into a multi-section document:

    • Go to the first page after the section break
    • Double click the header or footer depends on which is the place you want to add page numbers
    • Deleting any existing page number
    • In the Header & Footer tab, ensure Link to Previous, Different First Page and Different Off & Even Pages are all Off, unless you want a specific first page or some even pages
    • Insert page number again and go to Format Page Numbers > set Start at 1
    • Then check later sections and ensure all sections from section 2 or later are set with Link to Previous (normally this option is set as ON when you create a new section)
    • You can quick jump to later sections' first page using Ctrl + G > choose Section > press Next to jump through each section

    You can give it a try and let me know whether it works. If you have any other questions, please feel free to reach out again in the comments on this post. I'm happy to assist you further

    Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. I'm looking forward to your reply.

    If the answer is helpful, please click "Yes" and kindly upvote it.

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