Step 1 — Insert a Section Break
- Place your cursor at the end of the page before where you want numbering to start.
- Go to Layout → Breaks → Next Page under Section Breaks.
Step 2 — Add Page Numbers
- Open the Insert tab.
- Click Page Number and choose position (Top/Bottom of page, etc.).
Step 3 — Unlink from Previous Section
- Go to the page where numbering should begin and double-click in the header or footer.
- On Header & Footer Tools, click Link to Previous to turn it off.
Step 4 — Format Numbering
- With the cursor in that header/footer: Page Number → Format Page Numbers…
- Select Start at: and set it to 1 (or any number you prefer).
- (Optional) Remove page numbers from earlier sections if you don’t want them visible.
Tip: To hide a number on a cover page, enable Different First Page (Header & Footer options).
Troubleshooting & Quick Keys
- Numbers won’t start at 1? Verify Link to Previous is off in the new section.
- Wrong pages numbered? Ensure you inserted a Section Break: Next Page (not just a page break).
- Header/Footer tools missing? Double-click inside the header/footer area to activate them.
- Keyboard helpers (Windows): Toggle header/footer with Alt+N then H (or just double-click the header/footer). Close with Esc.
- macOS: Double-click header/footer; close with Esc.