Monday, November 11, 2013

MS Word: Resetting the Page Number in the Middle of your Document

I have moved all my blogs to my new website: https://helpfulofficetips.wordpress.com/2013/11/11/ms-word-and-resetting-the-page-number-in-the-middle-of-your-document/ From now on, all updates will be at the new site, and all links will take you directly to that site.  Please check it out!

A co-worker was struggling with starting the first page of Chapter 1 of a document being page 1.  The title page and table of contents were not supposed to be numbered.  What to do?  Word has the most annoying outline and page numbering systems ever invented IMHO.

Use a normal footer on your first page to start, even if that page is your title page or lists your contents.  It will default to page 1, of course.

Now, put your cursor at the end of your last non-numbered page, let's say the table of contents.  DO NOT put it at the beginning of Chapter 1 or you will end up with an extra (and blank) page 1 after these steps. 

Click on the Page Layout tab>Page Setup section>click on Breaks’ drop-down arrow.
 







Then click Next Page.














Now, you can select the page number on the next page and change its format.  Drag through the page number and right click.  Select “Format Page Numbers.”  In the Page Number Format window, select the “Start at:”  and “1” and OK.


Now go back to your page number on the title page and/or Table of Contents and delete or change the formatting to “i, ii, iii” for those sections.  (Everyone will be very impressed if you use little Roman numerals - just don't tell anyone you can't find the Roman numerals on your keyboard.)