How to Handle Page Numbering

There are two ways to handle the numbering, depending on whether you want the second page numbered 1 or 2.

Option 1: Hide the page number on the first page (easiest)

  1. Open your Word document.
  2. Go to the Insert tab.
  3. Click Page Number and choose where you want the number to appear (for example, Bottom of Page).
  4. Double-click in the header or footer area where the page number appears.
  5. On the Header & Footer tab, check the box labeled Different First Page.
  6. The page number will disappear from the first page but remain on subsequent pages.
  7. Click Close Header and Footer.

Result:

  • Page 1: No number displayed
  • Page 2: Displays 2
  • Page 3: Displays 3

Option 2: Start numbering with 1 on the second page (recommended for documents with cover pages)

Follow the steps above, then:

  1. Double-click the header or footer containing your page numbers.
  2. Click Page Number → Format Page Numbers.
  3. Under Page numbering, select Start at:.
  4. Change the value to 0.
  5. Click OK.
  6. Close the header or footer.

Result:

  • Page 1: No number displayed
  • Page 2: Displays 1
  • Page 3: Displays 2
  • Page 4: Displays 3

Which should you use?

For most professional documents, such as an IT Policy Handbook, staff training manual, or other formal document, I recommend Option 2. It treats the cover page as unnumbered and begins the actual document with Page 1.

One additional tip: If your document has a cover page and a table of contents, and you want numbering to begin on the third page or later, you'll need to use a Section Break instead. That's a slightly different procedure, but it gives you much more control over page numbering.