How to Start Page Numbers on Page 2 in Microsoft Word

Quick answer: If you only need to hide the number on the title page, open its header or footer and select Different First Page. If the second page should display 1 rather than 2, adjust the page-number format too. Changing the number you see is not the same as inserting or deleting a page.

Choose the result you actually want

There are two common requests that sound alike. In the first, a three-page document should show no number on the cover, then 2 on page two and 3 on page three. In the second, it should show no number on the cover, then 1 on page two and 2 on page three. Confirm which output is required before you touch sections.

Method A: hide the number on the first page

1. Save a copy of the file so the original remains available.
2. Double-click the header or footer area containing the page number. Word’s Header & Footer controls should appear.
3. Turn on Different First Page. Check whether the cover number disappears. If a number remains in the first-page header or footer, select that number and delete it there.
4. Close Header and Footer. Check page two and page three; they may still show 2 and 3, which is correct for a cover omitted from display but still counted.

Microsoft documents this as a first-page header/footer option. Avoid adding a section break just to hide one cover number; an unnecessary break creates additional formatting states to maintain.

Method B: make the second page show 1

Keep Different First Page enabled. In Word’s page-number controls, choose Format Page Numbers and set Start at to 0 for this first-page-skipped scenario, following Microsoft's guidance. Check that the next visible page displays 1. This is a different setting from leaving numbering at the usual start and merely hiding the cover value.

When you need a new numbered section

If preliminary pages should use Roman numerals or the document body starts later, use a section break rather than the cover-only shortcut. Position the cursor before the body, choose Layout → Breaks → Next Page, open the new section's header or footer, and turn off Link to Previous for the relevant header or footer. Then choose Format Page Numbers → Start at for the body section.

Headers and footers can link independently; unlink the one actually carrying the page number. On an unfamiliar document, inspect section boundaries and numbering in a copy before changing them.

Diagnose unexpected results

• Cover still numbered: verify Different First Page is enabled in the relevant section and remove only its first-page number.
• Page two shows 2 instead of 1: decide whether sequential document numbering is intended. If not, inspect the Start at value.
• Every section changed: check Link to Previous and whether you edited a shared header or footer.
• Blank page appears: show formatting marks; a new section break might have introduced a page. Do not delete a break until you understand its formatting role.

Final verification

Scroll through the copy and inspect the cover, first numbered page, and final page. If the document will be printed or exported, open the resulting PDF too and compare its page numbers. These are instructions grounded in official documentation, not a report of a live Word session performed for this article. See our blank-page guide if a break creates an unwanted page.

Official sources and verification

Steps were reviewed against the primary documentation linked below on 2026-10-24. Examples are editorial teaching exercises; we did not execute every step in a signed-in Word or Google Docs account. Product menus vary by edition and client.

• Microsoft: Start page numbering later in your document
• Microsoft: Customize page numbers and formats in different sections