Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here: Adding Page Numbers in Headers or Footers.

Adding Page Numbers in Headers or Footers

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated April 11, 2026)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003

If you already have headers and footers defined for your document, you can add a page number by simply editing the header or footer and then clicking on the Page Number tool on the header/footer toolbar. The page number is inserted at the location of your insertion point.

If the standard, run-of-the-mill page number does not fit your discriminating tastes, you may want to add page numbers to your headers or footers yourself. These types of page numbers can be rather fancy, if you like. For instance you may want a page number to say "Page 37" (special formatting with the word Page before the actual page number). To add page numbers in your headers and footers, follow these steps:

Position the insertion point in the section of your document that you want to include page numbers.
Choose the Header and Footer command from the View menu. You will see the Header and Footer toolbar, and your page view is changed to Print Layout (unless you were already using that page view).
Use the controls on the Header and Footer toolbar to display the place where you want to include the page number: either the header or the footer.
Type the word Page, followed by a space. Then click on the Page Numbers tool on the Header and Footer toolbar.
Format your header or footer text as you would format normal text in your document.
Click on Close.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (176) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Word (Word 2007 and later) here: Adding Page Numbers in Headers or Footers.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. Learn more about Allen...

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