How to Add Page Numbers Google Docs

Updated August 21, 2019

When you create a multi-page document in Google Docs, one way to help readers find their way around the document and keep track of where they’re at is to add page numbers. Here’s how to number pages in Google Docs and format the page numbers to match your document.

Instructions in this article apply to the Google Docs web app.

How to Number All Pages in Google Docs Automatically

When you have a document that requires page numbers on every page, quickly insert page numbers that automatically update when pages are added or deleted from the document.

Open a document. The document can be open to any page.
Select Insert > Header & page number.
Select Page number.
Choose to either add page numbers to the header of every page or to add page numbers to the footer of every page.

The icons for these options display the numbers 1 and 2 in the corner.
The page numbers are added to either the header or footer, depending on your choice.

How to Start Page Numbering on Page 2

If your document has a cover page and you don’t want the cover page to be assigned a page number, start the page numbering on the second page of the document. This way, the second page of the document is page one.

Select Insert > Header & page number > Page number.
Choose to add page numbers to the header of every page except the first page or to add page numbers to the footer of every page except the first page.

The icons for these options display only the number 1 in the corner.
The first page of the document won't have a page number, while the second page is numbered as page one.

How to Hide the Number on the First Page

If there are page numbers on every page of your document, but you don’t want to display the page number on the first page, remove the number from the first page. This doesn’t affect the page numbering of the other pages in the document, meaning the second page, for example, remains page number two.

Go to the first page of the document.
Select the header or footer, depending on where the page number is located.
Select the Different first page check box.
Select the page number, if it isn’t highlighted.
Press Delete, or replace the page number with any text.
Select anywhere outside the header or footer.
The page number no longer appears on the first page.
The page numbering continues on the second page and the second page is numbered as page two.

How to Move a Page Number

By default, the page number appears along the right margin of the document. However, the page number can be moved to the center or to the left.

Select the header or footer, depending on where the page number is located.
Go to the toolbar and select either Left Align or Center Align.
The page numbering moves to the selected location.

To change the look of the page numbers, select a page number, go to the toolbar, then change the font, font size, and text color.

How to Delete Page Numbers in Google Docs

If you later decide you don’t want to show page numbers in the document, delete the page numbering. To do so, select any page number, then press Delete.

How to Add a Page Count

If the document needs to specify the number of pages in a document, add a page count. This page count updates when pages are added or deleted from the document.