How to Add Page Numbers in Google Docs

The report is done, and the Google Docs file has no page numbers yet. To add page numbers in Google Docs on a computer, go to Insert, Page elements, Page number. Click one of the four position icons. That takes about 30 seconds. A different starting number? More options, same menu.

A blank title page, a “Page 3 of 10” footer, numbers that restart in a new chapter. Each of those has its own steps below, the way we’d set them up for reports and longer papers.

How to add page numbers in Google Docs

1. Make sure the document is in Pages format. Check under File, Page setup, on the Pages tab.
2. Click Insert, point to Page elements and choose Page number.
3. Pick one of the four placement icons.
4. Click into the body text to leave the header or footer.

Google Docs then numbers every page in the header or footer automatically.

Want the number centred or on the left? Double-click the header or footer and select the number. Use the alignment buttons on the toolbar, as with any other text. Font, size and colour change the same way.

Typing the number yourself never works. A typed “1” stays “1” on every page. The inserted field counts up by itself.

How to skip page numbers on the first page in Google Docs

1. Go to Insert, Page elements, Page number, More options.
2. Clear the Show on first page box.
3. Click Apply.

The cover page then shows nothing, and numbering continues on page two. Should the second page read “1” and not “2”? Set Start at to 1.

Title pages look odd with a big “1” in the corner. That’s why academic papers and business reports typically start the count after the cover.

The two “without first page” icons in the quick menu do the same job in one click.

Writing something with a preface or a contents page? Set any starting number you like. Handy when the real content begins on page 5 and you’d like it labelled page 1.

The More options dialog

It controls three things: position, the first page and the starting number. It also decides where a change applies.

Don’t see the Apply to choice? Then the document has no section breaks yet. Add one first, as described further down, and the option appears.

How to add “Page X of Y” in Google Docs

There’s no one-click button for it. You build it from two fields.

1. Double-click the header or footer to edit it.
2. Type the word Page, followed by a space.
3. Click Insert, Page elements, Page number and choose a placement. Or put the cursor where you want the number first.
4. Type a space, the word of, and another space.
5. Click Insert, Page elements, Page number, Page count. The total lands at the cursor.

The result reads “Page 3 of 12”. It stays correct as the document grows, because both fields update by themselves.

Rarely does anyone need more than this for client reports.

How to delete page numbers in Google Docs

Double-click any page number to open the header or footer. Select the number and press Delete.

The numbers are one linked field. Deleting it on one page removes it from every page in that section.

If section headers are unlinked, repeat the deletion in each section that still shows numbers.

Moving numbers from top to bottom? In most cases we’d delete them and insert them again with the right icon. That’s faster than dragging the field around.

How to add page numbers in the Google Docs mobile app

This works on Android phones, on the iPhone and on the iPad. The numbers only show in Print layout, so switch that on first.

1. Open the document in the Google Docs app.
2. Tap the three dots, More, and turn on Print layout.
3. Tap Edit, the pencil. Then tap Insert, the plus sign, and choose Page number.
4. Choose top or bottom, and whether the first page is skipped.

That’s about all the app offers. Custom start numbers, Page count and section rules need a computer.

A workable routine: draft on the phone, then fix those in the browser.

On an iPad the steps match the iPhone. Print layout first. Then Insert, Page number. Custom start numbers still need a computer.

Google Docs page numbers not showing?

Usually the document is in Pageless format. That removes page breaks, headers and footers.

1. Go to File, Page setup.
2. Choose the Pages tab.
3. Click OK.

On a phone, the other common cause is Print layout being off. That hides headers and footers on screen.

Still missing in one part of the file? Section breaks are often the reason. Each section can have its own header and footer.

When they aren’t linked to the previous section, numbering set in one place doesn’t carry over. Click in that section’s header and check the link options. Or apply the numbers again with Apply to set to This section.

Numbers can look fine on screen and still print off the edge. Check Format, Headers & footers. We’d give the header and footer margins at least 0.5 inch before printing.

Section breaks for separate page numbering

Section breaks let you number parts of a document separately. Front matter and chapters in a thesis, for example.

1. Put the cursor at the end of the front matter.
2. Click Insert, Break, then the section break that starts on the next page.
3. Click into the first chapter and open Insert, Page elements, Page number, More options.
4. Choose Start at 1 and set Apply to on This section. Then click Apply.

Roman numerals are the catch. Google Docs offers no number format choice. So i, ii, iii for an introduction have to be typed by hand, and that gets old fast in long documents.

Word handles this natively through Format Page Numbers. For a thesis with strict formatting rules, we’d draft in Docs and finish the layout in Word.

Page numbers in Google Docs for an MLA paper

MLA wants a running head. Your last name, a space, then the page number. Top right, half an inch from the top, on every page. No “p.” and no comma.

1. Insert, Page elements, Page number.
2. Pick the first icon: top right, every page.
3. Click just before the number in the header.
4. Type your last name and one space.

Done. The name repeats on each page, the number keeps counting.

Half an inch is already the default header margin in Google Docs. Someone changed it? Format, Headers & footers, More options, and type 0.5 for the header.

Font matters too. Select the header text and match it to the body, usually Times New Roman 12. No number on page one? Some teachers ask for that. Then we’d follow their sheet over this list.

Page count in Google Docs without adding a field

Just want to know how long the file is? No footer needed.

1. Tools, Word count.
2. Read the Pages line at the top.
3. Done closes the box.

Writing to a limit? Tick “Display word count while typing” in that box. A small counter then sits in the bottom left corner. Click it, and you can switch between pages, words and characters.

One catch for essays with a word cap. Headers, footers and footnotes aren’t counted unless you select them, so your page number field never adds to the total.

Docs or Word: which handles page numbers better

Google Docs covers the basics. Four positions, a hidden first page, a starting number, page count and per-section rules.

Microsoft Word adds number formats, chapter-based numbering and more header styles. Long academic or legal documents are usually easier to format there.

A stray blank page at the end? Different job, covered in how to delete pages in Word and in deleting pages in Word on a Mac.

Switching between both tools? Our comparison of Google Docs and Microsoft Office features explains what carries over cleanly when you export a .docx file.

For teams choosing a suite, see Google Workspace vs Microsoft Office. The Microsoft subscription itself: what Microsoft 365 is.

Other Word tricks follow the same Insert menu logic. One example: inserting checkboxes in the Office apps.

Need Word for long documents? Our Office Home and Business 2024 license is genuine, one-time, and covers one PC or Mac. We email it instantly after payment. All Microsoft Office versions are listed in the store. Subscription or one-time? We weigh both in Microsoft 365 vs Office 2024.

Common Google Docs page number problems

Every page shows the same number

A 1 typed into the footer stays a 1 on every page, because a typed character can’t count. You’d insert the page number field from the menu instead, and the pages number themselves.

Page numbers disappeared from a shared document

Someone switched the document to Pageless format, which hides headers, footers and page numbers. Switch back to Pages format under File, Page setup. The numbers return untouched.

The first page still shows a number

The title page shows a 1 nobody asked for. Clear the “Show on first page” checkbox under More options to hide it; the count on the following pages stays as it was.

Two numbering schemes in one document

Front matter often needs i, ii, iii and the chapters 1, 2, 3. Docs handles the restart with a section break. For Roman numerals in the front matter, you’d need Word. It also comes with Office LTSC Professional Plus 2024.

Where these Google Docs page number steps apply

These steps apply to the current web version of Google Docs and to its mobile apps, as of November 2026. The menu names match Google’s own help page for page numbers.

Older screenshots online show Insert, Page numbers. They come from before the Page elements submenu was added.