Take control of Word's 'Page x of y' numbering scheme

by Jody Gilbert | Aug 16, 2004 7:00:00 AM

Tags: Word processors, Jody Gilbert, footer, title page, Numpages, Microsoft Word

Takeaway: Adding a page count to your footer can be a nice touch, but not when the count doesn't reflect the number you want. This field code tweak and Start At adjustment will put you in charge of your page number display.

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Problem

I hit a page-numbering snag in a 20-page Word document. I wanted to use the Page X of Y AutoText entry in the footer, but I didn't want the footer to appear on the title page. I fixed that problem by selecting the Different First Page option in the Layout tab of the Page Setup dialog box, which left the footer on the title page blank. One problem remains, though: The total number of pages in the document is still 20, so the page after the title page says Page 2 of 20. I want it to say Page 1 of 19, since the title page doesn't count.

Solution

Word builds the Page X of Y AutoText entry from a pair of fields: Page and Numpages. You can manipulate the Numpages field to return the page count you're after. Then you can use Word's Start At setting to display page 1 for the page following your title page.

Tweaking the Numpages field

Open the footer and press [Alt][F9] to display field codes. You should see this:

Page { PAGE } of { NUMPAGES }

Highlight { NUMPAGES} and press [Ctrl][F9] to create a new field that nests the Numpages field, like this:

Page { PAGE } of { { NUMPAGES} }

The insertion point will be where you need it, between the two opening braces, so just type =.
Click between the two closing braces and type -1. Here's what you should have:

Page { PAGE } of { = { NUMPAGES} -1 }

Highlight the contents of the footer and press [F9] to update the fields.
Press [Alt][F9] to switch to results mode, and you should see this:

Page 2 of 19

Start at zero

Now you just need to make the 2 appear as 1. Stay in the footer and click Format Page Number on the Header And Footer toolbar. Enter 0 in the Start At text box and click OK. Word will then number the title page as 0 (invisibly) and change the footer on the second page to Page 1 of 19.

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