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FAQ: How do I format page numbers for different sections?

To create different formats of page numbers, you will need to divide your document into "sections", then change the page number formats in the headers and/or footers for each section. These instructions show how to format page numbers for the preliminary pages and the main text sections, but they can be adapted to other sections as well. (Note that specific steps will vary for different versions of MS Word.)

  1. Insert a section break between the preliminary pages and the main text, as follows -- Click in your document at the end of the text on the last preliminary page. Go to the Page Layout tab, click on the arrow after Breaks in the Page Setup menu section. Select Section Breaks - Next Page.
  2. Break the links between the sections, as follows -- Click on the first page of the main text section (You'll probably already be there if you've just inserted the section break). Go to the Insert tab, click on the arrow after Header in the Header & Footer menu section. Select Edit Header. Your cursor will be in the Header Section. You'll see "Same as Previous" on the right side of the page and "Link to Previous" will be highlighted in the Navigation menu section. Click on "Link to Previous". Move your mouse away -- the link should now not be highlighted and "Same as Previous" should be gone from the page header. Now go to the bottom of the page (first page in the main text) and click in the Footer. Again, click on "Link to Previous" in the Navigation menu section.
  3. Change the placement and format of the page numbers, as follows -- In each section, click on the first page in that section. Add a page number, in the correct format and position, to either the header or footer on that page and, if necessary remove the page number where it does not belong.