page numbering thesis in word

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Q. How do I number pages differently in the various sections of my thesis or dissertation?

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Answered By: Jeff Beuck Last Updated: Apr 03, 2020     Views: 1380071

See Also:  How do I add page numbers in Microsoft Word?

To use different page numbering schemes in different sections of your Word document, there are two tricks: 1) you must include a "Section Break - Next page" between each section of your document where the numbering will change, and 2) you must "unlink" each section's footer from the one before it.

To start, temporarily turn on the viewing of hidden formatting symbols by clicking the "Show/Hide" symbol on the "Home" tab in the "Paragraph" box -- this will enable you to see the Section Breaks between sections of your document.

One of the required page numbering changes for your thesis or dissertation is that you need to use Roman numerals (e.g., "i, ii, iii") for your introductory sections (Abstract, Table of Contents), and then switch to Arabic numerals (e.g., "1, 2, 3") and begin the page numbering at "1" at the start of Chapter I of your main text.

If you do not already have a "Section Break" between these two sections of your document, you will need to add one.  Place your cursor at the very end of the text in the first section (after your Table of Contents and any Lists of Tables and Figures), being careful NOT to place it in the footer where the page number is (if the text above becomes grayed out, you are in the footer – try clicking higher).

Add a "Section Break – Next Page" by selecting the "Page Layout" tab on the menu, clicking the arrow next to "Breaks", and selecting "Next Page" under Section Breaks.

After doing this, you should see a "Section Break (Next Page)" code inserted into your document.  This tells Word that the next page begins a new section which may have a different header or footer.

Go down to the next page below the section break (in this example, the first page of Chapter I), and click on the page number in the Footer.  If your cursor is in the Footer, you should see "Footer -Section [#]-" to the left, and "Same as Previous" on the right.

You should also see a new tab appear on the menu, labeled "Header & Footer Tools: Design".  Select this.  (Be careful not to confuse this with another tab labeled "Design" between the "Insert" and "Page Layout" tabs.)  In the "Navigation" section of this tab, you will see a highlighted button labeled "Link to Previous" which tells Word to link the footer in this section to the previous section and to continue its page numbering scheme.  Click the "Link to Previous" button to UNSELECT it.

After clicking this, the "Link to Previous" button should no longer be highlighted.  The "Same as Previous" box to the right of your footer should also disappear.

Confirm your cursor is still next to the page number in the Footer, then go back to the Header & Footer Tools – Design tab on the menu, and in the "Header & Footer" section, select Page Number > Format Page Numbers.

The "Page Number Format" window will appear.  Select the appropriate "Number format" for this section ("1, 2, 3," or "i, ii, iii", etc.), and tell Word whether to continue the page numbering from the previous section or to start at "1" or another number.  In this example, we want Section 2 (which begins at Chapter I and contains the main text of our thesis or dissertation) to use Arabic numerals and to start numbering this section from page 1.  Click "OK" to finish.

You will notice that the page numbering for the current section has now been corrected, and if you unlinked it properly from the previous sections, the numbering in those sections should remain as it was before.

Next, you will need to change the page number format to lower-case Roman numerals (i.e., "i, ii, iii, ...") for the section with your Abstract and Table of Contents.  Click your cursor on the footer of your Abstract or Table of Contents page.

Open the "Format Page Numbers" window by going to the Header & Footer Tools – Design tab on the menu, and in the "Header & Footer" section, select Page Number > Format Page Numbers.

Next to "Number format", select the "i, ii, iii, ..." option for lower-case Roman numerals, then click "OK".

The page numbering for the section with your Abstract and Table of Contents should change to lower-case Roman numerals.  As long as you correctly unlinked the following section from this one, the page numbering in the following section, the main body of your text, should remain Arabic numerals starting with 1.

You will also need to remove page numbers completely from the title page and other preliminary pages of your thesis or dissertation.  To do this, you will use the same method as above, but delete the page numbers from the first section of your document.

Place your cursor at the very end of the last page which will not be numbered (probably your approval page, dedication, or acknowledgment), being careful NOT to place it in the footer where the page number is (if the text above becomes grayed out, you are in the footer – try clicking higher).

After doing this, you should see a "Section Break (Next Page)" code inserted into your document on the page before your Abstract.

Go down to the next page below the section break (in this example, the Abstract), and click on the page number in the Footer.  If your cursor is in the Footer, you should see "Footer -Section [#]-" to the left, and "Same as Previous" on the right. Be sure you are not in Section 1 of your document.

On the main menu, select the "Header & Footer Tools: Design" tab, then in the "Navigation" section of this tab, click the "Link to Previous" button if it is highlighted to UNSELECT it and unlink this section from the section above.  This will allow you to modify the page number in the first section without affecting this or subsequent sections.

Return to your Title Page (or any page in Section 1 which will not be numbered) and click on the page number in the footer.  Click-and-drag your cursor over the page number to select it.

Click the "Delete" key on your keyboard to delete the page number from this section.  As long as you removed the "Link to Previous" connection from the next section, you should the page number disappear from the first section, but remain in the following sections.

If your paper includes additional sections (for example, if your Approval Page was added as a separate section from your Title page), you may have to experiment with linking and unlinking sections from each other -- unlink a section if its page numbering will be different from the one before it, but link together any sections where the page numbering will continue from the one before it.  It is generally a good idea to start with the last section of your document and work your way backwards.

When you are finished, don't forget that you can hide the formatting symbols to make it easier to view your text by turning off the "Show/Hide" symbol on the "Home" tab in the "Paragraph" box.

Footer Sections and page numbering can be very complex, especially if your document has multiple sections.  If you need additional assistance getting your page numbering correct, contact Jeff Beuck at 216-523-7486 to set up an appointment.

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Comments (378)

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Formatting Your Thesis or Dissertation with Microsoft Word

• Page Numbers
• Introduction
• Copyright Page
• Dedication, Acknowledgements, & Preface
• Headings and Subheadings
• Citations and Bibliography
• Tables and Figures
• Rotated (Landscape) Pages
• Table of Contents
• Lists of Tables and Figures
• List of Abbreviations
• Some Things to Watch For
• PDF with Embedded Fonts

Page numbers

Microsoft Word will keep track of page numbers for you, so you can add and delete pages, move tables and figures from one page to another, etc. Then, you can create a Table of Contents, a List of Tables, a List of Figures, etc. and Word will automatically create those lists (or, you can update the lists by clicking an update button). This will save you much time compared to manually adding page numbers to your pages and manually creating your Table of Contents, List of Tables, etc. However, in order for Word to do all this automatically, page numbering needs to be set up appropriately. The video tutorial below demonstrates how to set up the page numbering.

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• Last Updated: Mar 21, 2024 2:35 PM
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Easily Add Page Numbers to a Word Document on Any Platform

Easily add page numbers to the header or footer in your Microsoft Word document

Last Updated: April 8, 2024 Fact Checked

Inserting (PC & Mac)

Formatting (pc & mac), inserting (mobile), expert q&a.

This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Kyle Smith . Kyle Smith is a wikiHow Technology Writer, learning and sharing information about the latest technology. He has presented his research at multiple engineering conferences and is the writer and editor of hundreds of online electronics repair guides. Kyle received a BS in Industrial Engineering from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 767,633 times. Learn more...

Adding page numbers in Microsoft Word is easy! Whether you’re writing a 10-page essay or a thesis paper, there are a variety of ways to customize the page numbers. Use the Insert tab to quickly add page numbers. From there, you can change the formatting and numbering options. This wikiHow guide will show you how to add page numbers to your Microsoft Word document on Windows and macOS, as well as in the Word mobile app on your Android, iPhone, or iPad.

Things You Should Know

• On desktop or mobile, go to the Insert tab, then select "Page Number" to add page numbers.
• Double-click the page number to make changes to the font, color, or style.
• Double-click the header or footer, then go to Page Number > Format Page Numbers for additional options.

• Don’t forget to save your work as you go !

• In the Insert menu, Page Number is near the center.
• In the Header & Footer design tab, Page Number is on the left.

• You can also toggle the option to include the page count in the page numbering (e.g. 1 of 3).
• Selecting a page number position will open the “Header & Footer” tab.

• You could even cross out the page numbers if that’s your style.

• Double-click the header or footer to open the Header & Footer design tab.
• Check the “Different First Page” checkbox.
• Click Page Number then Format Page Numbers .
• Select “Start at” and change it to 0.

• Place your cursor at the beginning of the page you want to restart the numbering on.
• Go to the Layout tab, then click Breaks .
• Select Next Page in the Breaks options menu.
• Double-click the header or footer in the second section. This will open the Header & Footer design tab.
• Select the radio button labeled "Start At," then select "1" to restart the page count at 1.

• The number format. You can change this to Roman numerals, letters, or another style.
• The chapter number.
• The starting number.

• When working in Online mode, any changes made in the app will appear on your desktop version of Word.

You Might Also Like

• If you plan on creating a complex header or footer (like your name, or a title), try and add the page numbers first. They will be much easier to work with. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 1
• For more Microsoft Word guides, check out how to use document templates and how to merge documents . Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

• ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/insert-page-numbers-9f366518-0500-4b45-903d-987d3827c007

About This Article

1. Click Insert . 2. Click Page Number . 3. Select a position. 4. Choose a style. Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Formatting Your Dissertation (or Thesis): Insert page numbers

• Table of Contents
• List of Figures and Tables
• Chapters and Sections
• References or Bibliography
• Font and Typography
• Margins and Page Layout
• Headings and Subheadings
• Pagination and Page Numbering
• Change page orientation
• Add a border to a page

Insert page numbers

• Change margins
• Microsoft Word Tips and Tricks
• Managing Images and Graphics
• Collaboration Tools and Version Control
• Templates and Style Guides
• Checking for Consistency and Coherence
• Grammar and Spelling
• Formatting Checks
• Seeking Feedback and Peer Review
• Professional Editing Services

Select  Insert  >  Page Number , and then choose the location and style you want.

If you don't want a page number to appear on the first page, select  Different First Page .

If you want numbering to start with 1 on the second page, go to  Page Number  >  Format Page Numbers , and set  Start at  to  0 .

When you're done, select  Close Header and Footer  or press Esc.

• Video: watch how to insert page numbers

page numbering in Word

Word for Microsoft 365 Word for Microsoft 365 for Mac Word 2021 Word 2021 for Mac Word 2019 Word 2019 for Mac Word 2016 Word 2016 for Mac Word 2013 Word 2010

A header or footer can contain text, information about the document, or even images. However, the most common elements in a header or footer are page numbers. Page numbers can be continuous though a document, all but the first page, or start over in each section.

Note:  The best way to work with page numbers is in Word on a laptop or desktop computer, rather than in a web browser or mobile app.

Additional Information

On the  Insert  tab, click the  Page Number  icon, and then click  Page Number .

Select a location, and then pick an alignment style. Word automatically numbers every page, except designated title pages.

To change the numbering style, select  Format  and then choose the formatting you want to use.

Select  OK  twice to close both dialog boxes.

For more info on page numbers, see  Page numbering in Word .

• << Previous: Add a border to a page
• Next: Change margins >>
• Last Updated: Jun 6, 2023 11:54 AM
• URL: https://libguides.unisa.ac.za/c.php?g=1324044

Research Guides

Submit and publish your thesis.

• The Graduate Thesis: What is it?
• Thesis Defences
• Deadlines and Fees

Formatting in MS Word

• Formatting in LaTeX
• Making Thesis Accessible
• Thesis Embargo
• Review and Release
• Your Rights as an Author
• Re-using Third Party Materials
• Creative Commons Licenses for Theses
• Turning Thesis into an Article
• Turning Thesis into a Book
• Other Venues of Publication

Thesis style template for MS Word is available on the School of Graduate Studies website . You are not required to use the template but using it will make some of the formatting requirements easier to meet.

►► Thesis template for  Microsoft Word​  (.docx)

For formatting instructions and requirements see the Formatting section of the SGS website .

MS Word formatting tips

Section breaks and page numbers.

One of the most common formatting items that causes difficulty is the page numbering, since the front section and the rest of the thesis use different characters and placement. The way to properly format these sections is to add Section Breaks in between the front matter and the Introduction or Chapter One and between each of the following chapters, including the Bibliography and Appendices sections.

Adding Section Breaks and Page Numbers in Word 2016

You will need to insert “Section Break – next page” in between all chapters and between the front matter and the first chapter as well as between the last chapter and the appendices and the references.

• Click on the place where the break should be inserted and then go to the Layout tab.
• Click on the arrow beside Breaks and choose Section Break Next Page from the list. This allows you to format sections individually of each other.
• Go to the first chapter after the front matter, click in the header and footer area and in the Header & Footer tools, ensure that “Different First Page” is selected and then ensure that the “Link to Previous” option is not selected. This way, when you format the front matter with Roman numerals in the bottom centre, it won’t carry the formatting into the next section.
• Use the Insert Page Numbers and Format Page numbers to insert the page numbers in the appropriate place with the appropriate formatting.

Using Document Styles

The template has Styles that can be used to format your entire thesis. To use a style, select the text to apply the style to, then choose the appropriate style from the Styles window.

If you don’t want to use the template (for example, if you don’t want to use the numbered headings, you can create your own styles. To do this, format the heading (or other element) the way you want, then click New Style in the style window. Insert a unique name for the style and click OK . You can then use that style for those elements going forward.

Table of Contents (TOC)

To automatically generate a TOC, apply the appropriate Styles to all headings. The template has styles created for this purpose. If you are not using the template, you can create your own heading styles to apply.

Auto-generate the TOC in Word 2016 on both Mac and Windows

• Go to the References tab, choose Table of Contents and select Custom Table of Contents . Click OK .

       Using your own styles

• If you have created your own styles with custom names, go to the References tab, choose Table of Contents and select Custom Table of Contents , then click Options .
• Put numbers beside the styles you created that correspond with the level of heading they represent. Click OK , then OK again.

Manual formatting of TOC

To add right-aligned tabs with leaders:

• From the Home tab, open the Paragraph settings and click on the Tabs button.
• Enter the tab stop position, choose Right Tab and for Leader , choose the … option. Click Set (or the + sign on Mac), then click OK .
• Type the TOC entry, press tab, then insert the page number.

Miscellaneous tips

• Use page breaks instead of pressing Enter or Return
• Use paragraph first-line indent or tab consistently throughout doc (best to use Styles)
• Use consistent spacing around headers
• Use Shift + Return/Enter to keep headings that run over 2 lines in the same paragraph
• Ensure there are no Widow/Orphan headings or paragraphs
• When inserting longer quotes, use margins to indent rather than tabbing in and inserting a hard return after each line
• Always use tabs rather than spaces. Set tab stops so you aren’t using multiple tabs

Formatting issues and examples

When creating your own table of contents , be sure to format the space between the text and the numbers properly. Do not use multiple tabs or periods to separate them. This will result in a jagged right margin. You want to set a right-aligned tab with leaders in order to have the numbers properly aligned to the right margin. The auto-generate TOC feature does this automatically.

When starting content on a new page, do not use the return key until you get to the next page. If you add content to that section later on, it will move everything down the page, even on the following page. Instead, use the Insert Page Break feature.

When formatting indented quotes, do not use tabs to indent the lines , or put a return at the end of each line. The test in the paragraph won’t flow properly if you need to add more text or change the margins. Instead use the margin controls in the Ruler to indent the paragraph on each side.

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• Next: Formatting in LaTeX >>
• Last Updated: Sep 15, 2023 3:23 PM
• URL: https://guides.library.utoronto.ca/thesis

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Formatting Theses & Dissertations using Word 2010: Numbering

• Footnotes and Endnotes
• Images, Charts, Other Objects
• Cross-References
• Applying a Style
• Modifying a Style
• Setting up a Heading 1 Example
• Setting Margins
• Creating and Using Templates
• Combining Chapters
• Finalizing Without Styles
• Adding Page Numbers
• Landscape Pages
• Automatic Table of Contents and Lists
• Commenting and Reviewing
• Quick Links

Page Contents

Learn about making subsections and appendices easier to number

• Customizing Your Numbers (different numbers in different places on the page on different pages)

Automatic Chapter and Subsection Numbering

Outline numbering in appendices, customizing your numbering, add different page numbers or number formats to different sections.

Let's say you want to use different page numbers or number formats and styles in different parts of your document. You could use page numbers such as i, ii, iii… for the introduction and table of contents and 1, 2, 3… for everything after. The trick is to divide the document into sections and to make sure those sections aren’t linked. Then, set the page numbering for  each  of those sections by following these steps.

Notes:  

If you're using Word Online, you can add page breaks but not section breaks. If you have the Word desktop application, use the  Open in Word  command to open the document. When you’re done and you save the document, it will continue to be stored where you opened it in Word Online. If you don’t have Word, you can  try  or  buy  it in the latest version of Office now.

Click at the very beginning of the first page where you want to start, stop, or change page numbering.

Choose  Layout  (or  Page Layout ) >  Breaks  >  Next Page .

Tip:  You might find it helpful to see section breaks and other formatting marks as you type. On the  Home tab, in the  Paragraph  group, choose  Show/Hide  (¶) to turn on the display of formatting marks. Choose the button again to turn off the display.

On the page after the section break, double-click in the header (top of page) or footer (bottom of page) area where you want to display page numbers. This will open the  Design  tab under  Header & Footer Tools .

Click  Link to Previous  to deselect the button and disconnect your header or footer from the header or footer in the previous section.

Note:  If  Link to Previous  is dimmed, it means there is no section break between the page you're on and the previous page. Make sure you've successfully added a section break (see step 2) and that you've opened the header for the appropriate section.

In the  Header & Footer  group, click  Page Number , pick a location, and then choose a style in the gallery.

Note:  If your change only affects the first page of your section, make sure  Different First Page  is not selected. Double-click the header or footer area of the first page of the section, and look in the  Options group on the  Design  tab.

To choose a format or to control the starting number, in the  Header & Footer  group, choose  Page Number  >  Format Page Numbers  to open the  Page Number Format  dialog box.

Do either or both of the following:

Click  Number format  to select the format for the numbering, such as a, b, c or i, ii, iii.

Under  Page numbering , choose  Start at  and type a number that you want to start the section with.

Tips:  

If you just want to change or delete the first page number of a section, double-click to open the header or footer on that page, and in the  Options  group on the  Design  tab, click  Different First Page . Then delete or format the first page number as you like.

You also can change the appearance of the page numbers. On the  Home  tab, choose  Font , and change, for example, the font style and family, and font size and color.

When you’re done, choose the  Close Header and Footer , or double-click anywhere outside the header or footer area to close it.

Format Page Number in Word 2010 and 2007 .

To Format the page numbering for different sections, follow these steps.  

• Click between two parts of your document that you want to number differently.
• on the  Page Layout Tab , Click  Breaks .
• Click  Next Page ,  Even Page , or  Odd Page , and then click  OK .
• Click in the first section of your document.
• On the  Insert  Tab Click  Header  and then Click Ed it Header
• Click in the header or footer where you want the page number
• On the  Header & Footer Tools tab  Click  Page Number
• Click The option that puts the page number where you would like
• On the  Header & Footer Tolls tab  Click  Page Number
• Click  Format Page numbers
• In the  Number Format  box, click the format that you want for the numbers in this section.
• Do one of the following:
• If you want the page numbering for the first page in this section to start at a particular number other than the first number in the format series, click  Start at  under  Page numbering , and then enter the first number that you want to appear on the first page of the section.
• If you want the page numbering to continue from the previous section, click Continue from previous section.
• Click  OK
• On the  Header and Footer  tools tab, click  Next  in the Navigation Group
• Repeat steps 1 through 3 and 9 through 11 to change the page numbering for another section
• On the  Header and Footer  tools tab, click  Close

Important Note: Not everyone needs this type of numbering; if your discipline doesn’t require it, skip this section!

Word can automatically number sections (Chapter 1, 1.1, 1.2, etc.) of your document and include the chapter number in the captions (Figure 1.2, 2.2, etc.).

• Make sure each of your chapter titles are in the Heading 1 style, and then click on one of your chapter titles.
• Click OK when you are finished.
• If you typed in the text “Chapter #”, and now it is duplicating your efforts, delete the text you typed and leave the automatically generated chapter number.
• To follow the automatically generated chapter number with the title of your chapter on a new line, click just before the text of your title, hold down the Shift key on the keyboard, and then press the Enter key.

Note: If you have any problems with word automatically adding outline numbering to parts of your front matter, simply delete it.  Your chapter numbers will reset to show the correct number of chapters.

Start Numbering on Page 2

How do i start page numbers on the second page of my word 2010 document.

Word 2010, by default, starts page numbers on the first page of a document. If the first page is a cover page, or a title page, then the second page of the document should be page 1.

• Insert page numbers by clicking on the Insert tab and choosing Page Number in the Header & Footer tab. Then select the position of the numbering.
• Because the new page numbers will be selected, the Design tab for Header & Footer Tools will appear. Under Options , select Different First Page . ( This will start page numbering page 2, but the second page will be labeled "2". This isn't what we wanted. There is an extra step to making this page say "1". )
• While the Design tab for Header & Footer is still up, select Page Number in the Header & Footer group. Then choose Format Page Number .
• The resulting window is shown to the right. Change the radial button at the bottom to Start at and type in 0 . Then click ok .

Follow the instructions at this link for roman numerals .

This was taken from the Just Tips webpage from the website for Mission Critical Training in Denver.

Customizing Your Numbers

If you want to change anything about the numbers – for example, you are using the 1.1, 1.2, etc. style but would like the word “Chapter” to display automatically in front of the Heading 1 number, you want to change Arabic numbers to Ordinal, or you want to change the spacing after the numbers, you can.

Click one of your headings, then go back to the Home Ribbon, and in the Paragraph Group click the Multilevel List icon (see screen shot above) and select Define New Multilevel List….   Click the More>> button, then select the relevant list level.

• You can use the Number style for this level: pulldown menu to choose from a various styles, as seen in the screenshot (below the Enter formatting for number: box).
• In the screenshot, with the Level on the left set at 1, we added the word “Chapter”. Moving to the second level, you can change the period in between the level and sublevel to a dash or anything you want in the Number format box.

You may also restart number for captions in your appendices or other separate areas of your dissertation.  You will need to change your outline numbering settings before inserting your captions.

We are going to do a variant of the steps above, but instead of defining new levels for your list, you will be editing the first level from this point forward. This should work, but sometimes Word acts up, and even though you’ve followed all the steps, it doesn’t take. If that happens, set up an appointment with the KNC and we’ll help you out.

• Apply the Heading 1 style to the title of your Appendix.
• On the Home Ribbon, go to the Paragraph Group , click the Multilevel List icon and select Define New Multilevel List….   Make sure the whole dialog box is showing by clicking on the More>> button (if it says <<Less instead, you are all set).
• Under Enter formatting for new number :, replace “Chapter” with “Appendix.”
• Choose the appropriate style, (such as A,B,C,… ) from the Number style for this level: pulldown menu.
• Set the correct letter or number in the Start at: pulldown.
• In the Apply changes to: pulldown, choose This point forward .
• Click OK to close the dialog box.
• << Previous: Setting Margins
• Next: Creating and Using Templates >>
• Last Updated: Dec 16, 2021 3:21 PM
• URL: https://research.auctr.edu/dissertation

How-To Geek

How to work with page numbers in microsoft word.

Microsoft Word offers an easy way to add different styles of page numbers to your document.

Quick Links

How to insert page numbers, how to make page numbering not appear on the first page of a document or section, how to number odd & even pages differently, how to add different numbers and formats to different sections, controlling page numbers using fields, fixing broken page numbers.

Microsoft Word offers an easy way to add different styles of page numbers to your document. If you've got a simple document, it works well enough. But if you've worked with Word for a while and use it to create more complex documents, you know page numbering can get a little flaky. So let's take a closer look.

To add page numbers to your Word document, switch over to the "Insert" tab on the Ribbon and then click the "Page Number" button in the "Header & Footer" section.

A drop-down menu shows several different options for where you'd like the page numbers to appear---top of the page, bottom of the page, and so on. The last couple of options let you format your page numbers more precisely (something we'll look at a bit later in this article) or remove page numbers from your document.

Hover over one of the first four options and a page number gallery appears. Each option in the gallery gives you a general idea of how the page numbers will look on your page.

Once you find an option you like, go ahead and click it to have Word automatically number all the pages of your document in that style. In this example, we've selected the "Accent Bar" style in the "Page X" format.

Related: How to Insert Page X of Y into a Header or Footer in Word

If you inserted page numbers at the top or bottom of the page, the header or footer area of your document automatically opens up, and you can make any addition you like around your new page numbers. When you're ready to get back to your document, you can tap the "Close Header & Footer" button on the Ribbon or double-click anywhere in your document outside the header or footer area.

That's the simple version of adding page numbers, and it works well enough if you've got a simple document---one where you want all the pages numbered, and you want them numbered using the same convention.

For some documents, though, you'll want to get a little fancier. For example, what if you don't want the page number to appear on the first page of the document (or on the first page of each section)? Or what if you want the page number placement to be different on odd and even pages, the way it is in a book? Or what if you have different sections that you want to be numbered differently---like an introduction or table of contents where you want Roman numerals instead of the Arabic numerals used in the rest of your document?

Well, Word has a way to do all of that.

When your first page is a title page, you might want to use a different footer or header for it than you use in the rest of your document and you might not want the page number to show up on that page. When you open your header or footer section by double-clicking somewhere in those areas, Word opens a new "Design" tab on the Ribbon in a section named "Header & Footer Tools."

On that tab, you'll find a "Different First Page" option.

The critical thing to know here is that this option applies to the section of the document where your insertion point is currently placed. If you only have one section in your document, selecting the "Different First Page" option makes the current header and footer disappear from the first page of your document. You can then type in different information for your header or footer on the first page if you want.

If you have multiple sections in your document, you can change the header and footer for the first page of each section. Say you were writing a book with different chapters and you had each chapter set up in its own section. If you didn't want the regular header and footer (and page numbers) showing up on the first page of each section, you can just place your insertion point somewhere in that section and then enable the "Different First Page" option.

You can also set up page numbering so that the position of the page numbers is different on odd and even pages. You'll find that most books take this approach so that the page number appears toward the left side on the left (even) pages and toward the right side on the right (odd) pages. This prevents the page numbers from being obscured by the book's binding and makes them easier to see as you flip through pages.

Word also has an option for that. On that same "Design" tab in the "Header & Footer Tools" section of the Ribbon, just click the "Different Odd & Even Pages" option.

Word automatically formats the page numbers to appear the way they would in a book, and you can then make any manual adjustments you want.

Most documents use Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, etc.) in the main body of the document and some use Roman numerals (i, ii, iii, etc.) for different sections like the table of contents, introduction, and glossary. You can set up your document this way in Word, too.

The first thing you'll need to do is create different sections in your document for these different parts of your document. So, for example, if you wanted your table of contents and introduction to be numbered differently than the main body of your document, you'd need to create a different section up front to hold those parts.

To do this, place your insertion point at the very beginning of your document (if you haven't already created that preliminary content) or place it right before the first page of your main content (if you have already created the preliminary content).

Switch over to the "Layout" tab on the Ribbon and click the "Breaks" button.

In the drop-down menu, click the "Next Page" option. As the description says, this creates a section break and starts the new section on the next page.

Now that you've created the separate section, you can change the format of the page numbers there. The first thing you'll want to do is break the link between your new preliminary section and the next section where the main body of your document starts. To do that, open up the header or footer area (wherever you have your page numbers) in the main section of your document. On the "Design" tab in the "Header & Footer Tools" section of the Ribbon, click the "Link to Previous" option to break the link to the previous section's header and footer.

Now that you've broken the link, you can fix the page numbering the way you want it. This takes a few steps.

Start by opening up the header and footer area of any page in that preliminary section. You'll see that the page numbering persists from before you created the new section break.

Right-click the page number and choose the "Format Page Numbers" command from the context menu.

In the Page Number Format window, select the type of numbers you want to use for the section from the "Number Format" drop-down menu. Here, we've gone with standard lowercase Roman numerals. Click "OK" when you're done.

And you can see that our page numbering in that section has changed to Roman numerals.

There's one more step you'll need to take, though. Scroll down to the first page in your next section (the one with the main body of your document). You'll see that the page numbering likely doesn't start off at page one. That's because it maintained the same numbering it had before you created that additional section.

It's an easy fix, though. Right-click the page number and choose the "Format Page Numbers" command from the context menu.

In the Page Number Format window, select the "Start At" option and then set the box at the right to "1" to start the section off on page one.

That's all there is to it. Now you should have two sections with different numbers and formats.

Word numbers all your pages, but those numbers remain hidden unless you tell Word to display them. By inserting a field code anywhere on the page, you can tell Word to reveal the page number. This option gives you fine control over page numbers. It also lets you put numbers anywhere you need and not just in the headers, footers, and margins. For example, you could put them in a text box if you wanted to.

Place your insertion point where you'd like to insert page numbers and then press Ctrl+F9 to insert a pair field brackets, which look like this: { }. Then, type "PAGE" inside the brackets like this:

You can also use a few switches along with the PAGE command that gives you some control over the style in which your numbers appear. Use one of the codes below to give your numbers the look you need.

{ PAGE \* Arabic }

{ PAGE \* alphabetic }

{ PAGE \* ALPHABETIC }

{ PAGE \* roman }

{ PAGE \* ROMAN }

To finish, right-click anywhere between the brackets and choose the "Update Field" command from the context menu.

Here's an example of a page number we've inserted into a text box at the bottom right of our page.

If your page numbers are broken in a document---maybe they appear non-sequentially or restart seemingly at random---it's almost always because of problems with sections.

For Word, a document isn't really a thing when it comes to formatting. Word breaks things down into sections, paragraphs, and characters---and that's it.

To fix broken page numbering, start by identifying the sections in your document. The easiest way to do this is to switch over to the "View" menu on the Ribbon and then click the "Draft" button to enter draft view.

In draft view, Word shows you exactly where section breaks occur and what kinds of breaks they are.

When you've identified the location of your section breaks, switch back over to the Print Layout view (so you can see headers and footers easier). This is where you'll need to start doing some detective work.

Make sure that that the sections where you want continuous page numbering have their headers and footers linked together and that sections where you don't want continuous numbering have that link broken. You can also use the methods we've covered in this article to make sure the page numbering of sections start at the right number

Formatting your Thesis and Dissertation:Tools,Tips and Troubleshooting

• I am a new Graduate Student at Florida Tech!
• Thesis and Dissertation Templates
• Learn About Zotero
• Formatting Landscape Pages
• Line Spacing
• Page Numbers
• Page Break and Section Breaks
• Table of Contents or Figures
• Figures Turning Black
• Margin issues with Tables
• Page numbers not appearing
• PDF to PDF/A
• Section Breaks
• Landscape Page Numbers
• Troubleshoot LaTeX formatting issues
• Copyright and Creative Commons Licenses Primer
• Do I need to embargo my thesis or dissertation?
• I'm ready to submit my electronic copy - now what do I do?
• What is the process for obtaining print copies of my thesis or dissertation?

Formatting Page Numbers

Page Numbers (also Header & Footer)

1. On the Insert tab, in the Header & Footer group, click Header, Footer or Page Number.

2. Click the design that you want from the options.

3. The header or footer is inserted on every page of the document. You will also see the body text is now lighter.

4. You can now add/modify the text, format the text or change the position.

5. You will also notice the Ribbon bar has popped up header and footer, tools Design tab

Click on the header and footer tools Design tab to activate working in headers and footers. You also have options that can be applied to the Header & Footer bars.

Inserting page number in footers

In the header and footer design tab, select page number.

A. click on Bottom of page and select Plain number 2 (centered page number). As mentioned before, depending on the instructions.

B. This will take you back into the Design menu

C. You will notice in this menu whether Link to Previous is highlighted. Click on this to turn it off. This controls text and page numbers following through from section to section.

D. Click on Page number again and this time select Format page number.

E. Select the type of numbers you need. Select small Roman numerals (I, ii, iii etc.) for all pages from Contents to Chapter 1. Start the Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3 etc) from the first page of chapter 1. The title page has no page number. (In double-sided printing, you will need to turn off same as previous on the first odd and the first even page of each new section).

F. If you want page numbers to continue from the previous section/chapter, check ‘ continue from previous section’

G. If you want to start fresh numbering in the section or chapter, select ‘ start at’ and enter the starting number (usually 1).

Sections in the ‘Preliminaries’ file will have small Roman numerals for page numbering, while the rest of the document will have Arabic numerals. This is one of the reasons why it is important to keep the ‘same as previous’ option turned off. If it is on, all numbers or text in the header or footer will be the same throughout the entire document.

When working in headers and footers, you must have the cursor blinking in the header or footer space on the page, otherwise nothing will happen. When you click into the header or footer space, the Design menu will appear, which includes the header and footer sub-menu.

The page numbers also have to fit within the 1 - 1.2-inch margins of the page. In the Header and Footer design tab you will see options to adjust the margins of the header and footer. Adjust Footer from Bottom to your required spacing.

• << Previous: Line Spacing
• Next: Page Break and Section Breaks >>
• Last Updated: Apr 29, 2024 1:32 PM
• URL: https://libguides.lib.fit.edu/formattingyourthesisanddissertationtoolstipstroubleshooting

• University of Michigan Library
• Research Guides

Microsoft Word for Dissertations

• Introduction, Template, & Resources
• Formatting for All Readers
• Applying a Style
• Modifying a Style
• Setting up a Heading 1 Example
• Images, Charts, Other Objects
• Footnotes, Endnotes, & Citations
• Cross-References
• Appendix Figures & Tables
• Table of Contents
• List of Figures/Tables
• Chapter and Section Numbering
• Page Numbers
• Landscape Pages
• Combining Chapter Files
• Commenting and Reviewing
• The Two-inch Top Margin
• Troubleshooting
• Finalizing Without Styles
• Preparing Your Final Document

Help with Microsoft Word

Members of the University of Michigan community can get dissertation & thesis formatting assistance from the experts at ScholarSpace:

Please  visit this link to make an appointment , or send an email to [email protected].

We're here to solve any formatting problems you've run into, and can give you guidance about captioning figures, solving numbering issues, creating a List of Tables/Figures/Appendices, and more.

Contact Information

Introduction to Word for Dissertations

Formatting your dissertation (or thesis) will likely take more time than you expect. But using the special features described in this Guide will save you a great deal of work , particularly if you use our template (available in the box below). The earlier you begin to use these tools, the more time you'll save and the less stress you'll have as your submission deadline approaches. Students at the University of Michigan are also encouraged to contact the experts at the Library's ScholarSpace anytime you run into a problem or have a question.

To meet  Rackham’s Dissertation Formatting Guidelines  you will need to modify the standard settings that Microsoft Word uses. This guide will show you how to use the tools to make the necessary modifications.  While we do follow the requirements from Rackham’s formatting guidelines to demonstrate the tools, in the end, you are responsible for verifying that your document meets the requirements that Rackham sets.

To save yourself time and effort , please consider using our Dissertation Template (link available in the box below). Many of the settings discussed in this Guide are already included in that document.

Please note that, as a University of Michigan student, you have free access to the Microsoft Office suite of tools -- including Microsoft Word. Visit this link to learn more and to download Office to your own computer.

Dissertation Template and other Resources

• ScholarSpace Template for Dissertations This Microsoft Word document comes with many of the Rackham formatting guidelines built in, and can be used for dissertations and theses. Please note that this template doesn't follow the formatting direction of any particular Style Guide. It is your responsibility to make sure you are following the Style Guide predominant in your field, and to make any relevant formatting changes to heading styles, numbering, captions, etc... How to make many of those changes is described throughout this Guide.
• Rackham Dissertation Handbook Rackham's Dissertation Guidelines and Handbook
• Dissertation Formatting Checklist Rackham's list of formatting issues to watch out for in your dissertation.
• Using Microsoft Word for Large Documents (non-dissertation specific) Handout (This document was written for an older -- much older -- version of Word, but nearly all of the information is still accurate and useful)
• Guide to Copyright for Dissertations

A word about LaTeX

LaTeX is a writing and markup language often used in science and engineering documents because it allows for great control in creating complex equations and formulas. ScholarSpace does not maintain a template for dissertations created with LaTeX, and we can only provide very limited support for it. That said, there is a community of U-M folks who actively maintain  this LaTeX template to keep it in line with Rackham's guidelines .

Here are some other very useful resources:

• Video recording of a  UM Library Workshop on Dissertation Formatting with LaTeX
• Documentation for LaTeX and Overleaf
• Bibiliography Management with LaTeX
• How to Write a Thesis in LaTeX
• A huge collection of LaTeX resources

Can I use Google Docs for my dissertation?

No. Google Docs can get you pretty far down the road to something that looks like what Rackham requires, however, it's going to take a lot more work to get that far, and as you approach the finish line there will be obstacles that Google Docs just won't be able to get around. The issue is that Google Docs was not designed for complicated documents like a thesis or dissertation. To get it to do many of the special things that Rackham requires, you'll have to do a lot of work that Word will just do for you . A few examples:

• Rackham requires 1" margin on all pages, but a 2" margin at the top of each new section. You'll have to manually adjust every relevant page yourself in Docs to get this, but Word will just do it automatically.
• Docs gives you three choices for how your Table of Contents will look, none of which are suitable for Rackham. While you can adjust the format, many aspects of it (such as spacing) will revert to the original every time you update it.  With Word, you're in charge of what your ToC looks like.
• In Docs, you'll have to manually type in your figure numbers ("Figure 3.6") and change them every time you add or move them. But Word will manage numbering and caption placement for you, it will renumber figures or tables as you add or move them, and it will create your List of Figures/Tables automatically – correct page numbers and all. 
• With Word's figure/table numbering, you can also insert cross-references so when you refer to "(see Figure 4.2)" but then you add some new figures before that, not only will Figure 4.2 renumber itself automatically, but anywhere you've referred to it will be updated, too. No more anxiety about whether you've updated everything accurately.
• Page numbers: Rackham wants the first two pages to have no page numbers, the rest of the frontmatter to have small roman numerals, and the body of the document to have arabic numerals.  Docs just plain can't do that. 

If you're concerned about the learning curve of using Word, please know that this Guide goes over how to do everything, AND the Word template found here has nearly everything already set up for you. We also regularly offer a workshop that serves as an introduction to the most useful features, and you can set up a meeting with a ScholarSpace expert anytime you run into something that you can't figure out. 

Writing Assistance

This Guide is all about how to properly format your dissertation -- how to make it look the way Rackham wants it to look. But what if you need help with the actual composition  of your content? Our friends at the Sweetland Writing Center offer such assistance, through their Writing Workshop program. From their website:

These are just a few quick but especially important tips to help you get started. See our more expansive Tips & Troubleshooting section for suggestions that are a little more complex.

• Save early , save often, and create backup versions as you go along. Consider setting up Microsoft OneDrive (you have free access with your umich login credentials). With this, you can turn on "Autosave" in Word to automatically save your document at regular intervals.

• Use our template (available above), it will save you lots of time. Nearly all of the difficult formatting stuff we discuss in this Guide is already built into the template. Consider doing all of your writing in it -- even if you're working in separate files for each chapter, you can use a copy of the template for each one of those chapters.
• Set the margins including the two-inch margin for chapters titles  ( Setting Margins ) .
• Define styles for Headings 1-3, Normal, Captions, and Quotes – these are most common; you may need others ( Working with Styles ).
• If headings need to be numbered (for example, 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, etc.), define a multi-level list ( Automatic Numbering ).
• If captions need to include the chapter number, define a multi-level list ( Automatic Numbering ).
• Share your file(s) with your advisors using Track Changes ( Commenting and Reviewing ) .
• If you use EndNote to manage your citations and create your bibliography, use only one EndNote library for your entire dissertation (see our EndNote Basics guide).
• Did we mention that you really ought to try out our template (available above)?

Library Subject Guides

4. writing up your research: thesis formatting (ms word).

• Books on Thesis Writing
• Thesis Formatting (MS Word)
• Referencing

Haere mai, tauti mai—welcome! These instructions are designed to be used with recent versions of MS Word. Please note there is no template or specific formatting guidelines for a thesis at UC. Please talk to your supervisor and take a look at theses in the UC Research Repository to see how they are usually formatted.

• Where to start
• Show/Hide Formatting
• Heading Styles
• Navigation Pane
• Table of Contents
• Numbered Headings
• List of Figures/Tables
• Page/Section Breaks, Page Numbering & Orientation

Word Thesis Formatting workshops run throughout the year.

Some useful documents.

• Word Formatting Instructions PDF This PDF contains the same instructions that are available on this page.
• Sample Thesis Document with No Formatting This sample thesis file can be used to practise formatting. It is not a template for how to format a thesis. UC does not provide any guidelines on formatting a thesis.
• APA 7th Edition Formatting Example This document is formatted according to APA 7th Edition formatting guidelines. It could be used as a template or as an example to follow. It contains some additional instructions for certain APA formatting in Word.

For more APA formatting advice see the APA Style Blog's excellent Style and Grammar Guidelines .

Finding Examples

Look at examples and ask your supervisor.

The best guide on how to format your thesis is a combination of:

• Looking at previous theses in your discipline. Search the UC Research Repository  for your subject or department, and browse by issue date to get the most recent.
• Asking your supervisor for recommendations on specific formatting and details. 

General Recommendations

The following is an example only of preliminaries to the thesis that could be included.

• Acknowledgements
• List of Figures
• List of Tables
• Abbreviations
• Toggle show Home ->Show/Hide formatting

Using styles for headings allows you to create an automatic table of contents.

• Select major headings one at a time and choose Home ->Styles ‘Heading 1’

• Select subheadings and apply Home ->Styles ‘heading 2’ and ‘heading 3’
• Modify a style by right clicking on it and choosing Modify in the styles pane at the top of the screen.

The Navigation Pain is useful for seeing the outline of your document as well as providing links to quickly go to any section of the document.

• View->check Navigation Pane

In order to create an automatic table of contents heading styles must be used.

• References -> Table of Contents -> Custom Table of Contents (no heading in table)

• Right click table of contents to ‘update field’ and choose ‘update entire table’

• Home->Multilevel list-> choose style with a number level for each heading level

• To change the heading level 1 number to say ‘Chapter 1’ right click on heading level 1 in the styles area Heading 1->Modify .

• In the modify screen click Format->Numbering.

• Then click ‘ Define New Number Format’.

• Then add the word ‘Chapter’ and a space before the ‘1’.

To create automatic lists of figures or tables you first have to give a caption to all your figures and tables.

• Right click figure or table and select Insert Caption

• Choose Label type eg. Figure, Table etc
• Choose position above or below
• Give the table or figure a title in the top box
• Go to the headings for List of Figures and List of tables and then click References->Insert Table of Figures -> select caption label type (Figure or Table)

• On the following menu select caption label type (Figure or Table) and click OK

This can be used to have different page numbering styles of different sections of your document or to have certain pages landscape to display a large table or graph.

• Insert a section break (next page) at the end of the title page ( Layout -> Breaks -> Next Page )

• Insert a section break at chapter 1 ( Layout -> Breaks -> Next Page )
• Insert page breaks for all other ‘heading 1’ headings ( Layout -> Breaks -> Page )

Adding Page Numbers

• Insert -> Page Number and choose a position on the page

• Double click on title page header or footer (top or bottom of the page) and tick ‘ Different First Page’ in the Design ribbon that appears

• Click in second page header or footer, right click on the page number and select ‘ format page numbers ’

• Select Roman numerals eg. ‘i, ii, iii, iv’ etc
• Select start at ‘i’ (start at ‘1’)

• Scroll to chapter 1 and change number style for this section back to ordinary numbers and start at 1

Change Page Orientation

• Insert a section break before and after the pages you want to change to landscape orientation (See instructions above for inserting a section break)
• Layout -> Orientation -> Landscape

NOTE:  A section break is usually only needed if page orientation or separate page numbers are required.

• << Previous: Books on Thesis Writing
• Next: Referencing >>
• Last Updated: Feb 8, 2024 12:29 PM
• URL: https://canterbury.libguides.com/writingup

Start page numbering later in your document

Remove the page number from the first page.

Go to Insert > Header or Footer > Edit Header or Edit Footer .

Select Different First Page .

Note:  Different first page can be applied to the first page of any section in your document, not just the very first page.

In the header or footer area, you should see a label on the first page that says First Page Header . Select the page number and press Delete.

Select Close Header and Footer or press Esc to exit.

Tip:  If you want your second page to start at 1 rather than 2, go to Insert > Page Number > Format Page Numbers , and set Start at under Page Numbering to 0, rather than 1.

Start page numbering on Page 3 - double-sided printing

If the first page of your document is a cover page, the second page is a table of contents, and you want the third page to show “Page 1”, see Start page numbering on Page 3 - double-sided printing .

Choose the scenario that most closely matches what you want to do:

You don't want a page number to appear on your title page, but you want the second page to show "Page 2."

In the header or footer area, you should see a label on the first page that says First Page Header . Select the page number to highlight it and press Delete.

Go to Insert > Header & Footer .

Select  Options on the right side, and then select Different First Page .

Select Options again, and then select Remove Page Numbers .

To see your page numbers and confirm deletion of the number from the first page, go to View > Reading View .

If all page numbers are deleted, go to Insert > Header & Footer and select Other Pages on the left side. Go to Insert > Page Number and choose a number placement.

For more info on page numbers, see Page numbering in Word .

Pre-numbered blank document templates with no page number on the first page:

Header page numbers

Designed for single-sided print or viewed online

Designed for double-sided print

Footer page numbers

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How to Delete a Page in Word for Your Thesis/Dissertation? [For Students]

Writing today involves more than just putting words on a document; it requires management across various digital intricacies that can suddenly throw you off course. As a writer who spends hours working with document processors, I've learned how to solve those unexpected digital problems, like unwanted blank pages that appear without warning.

If you're a student dealing with those pesky blank pages just when you're about to submit an important assignment or thesis, it can be incredibly frustrating. In this article, I'll demonstrate to you how to get rid of those unwanted pages and keep your work neat and presentable.

Common Problems About Deleting a Page in Word

Blank pages can be a real headache. They sometimes appear out of nowhere, and other times, trying to delete them messes up your formatting. These are among the most common issues when it comes to deleting pages in Word, enough to make you want to tear your hair out.

1.Deleting a Blank Page Caused by a Table

If you're working on a thesis dissertation, you're likely to include tables to present and organize data. However, when using Microsoft Word, you might find an extra page appearing unexpectedly, and your table could be the reason behind it. This occurs because tables in Word end with a paragraph mark. If the table is at the bottom of a page and there's no room for the paragraph mark, Word automatically adds a new page. This can be frustrating when you're aiming for a polished, professional document. The good news is that you can resolve this issue with a few simple steps to keep your thesis looking its best.

2.Deleting Blank Pages in the Middle of a Document

Stray paragraph marks, page breaks, and section breaks are just a few reasons why extra pages appear in a document. This can be especially problematic when these unwanted pages appear in the middle of a long document, such as a thesis or a report. Deleting these extra pages can eventually be a massive pain in the back, especially when you need to maintain a consistent layout throughout the document.

How to Delete an Extra Page Caused by a Table

A simple backspace is clearly not going to help you as you try to remove the annoying extra page. But believe it or not these methods and steps on how to remove and delete blank page in Word, is actually pretty simple:

Reduce Paragraph Mark Font Size to Remove Blank Page After Table

A somewhat simple method to remove a blank page in Word caused by a table is by altering the font size, so let's explore this method:

Step 1 : First, open the document in Microsoft Word where the extra page was added due to a table.

Step 2 : Now, let's activate the paragraph marks by going to the “Home” tab and then clicking on the “Paragraph Marks” icon to show paragraph marks in your document.

Step 3 : You will see a single paragraph mark on the blank page, select it using your mouse.

Step 4 : Now, in the “Home” tab, reduce the font size in the “Font” section. You might want to reduce the font to as little as '1' to remove the blank page.

This method is viable and can be considered as a quick fix to remove blank pages caused by tables in Word documents.

Apply the Hidden Text Attribute

If you're wondering how to remove a blank page in Word, one approach involves hiding the unwanted page rather than completely deleting it. This method doesn't actually remove the page but makes it invisible when printing or sharing the document. It's a quick workaround, but keep in mind that the blank page still exists in the document structure. Here's how you can hide the blank page:

Step 1 : First, let's open the document in Word, and then click on the "Paragraph Marks" icon in the "Home" tab.

Step 2 : Next, let's select the paragraph mark on the blank page using the cursor and then right-click to open the Context menu.

Step 3 : Now, click on the "Font" option to open the Font dialog.

Step 4 : In the Font Dialog, go to the "Effects" section and then tick the "Hidden" checkbox, and then press "OK" to exit.

Step 5 : After that, hide paragraph marks by clicking on the "Paragraph Mark" icon in the Home tab.

Step 6 : Now you will see that the blank page has been hidden in the document.

Step 7 : However, if the blank page is still not hidden, head over to the "File" menu in the top left.

Step 8 : Now click on the "Options" button in the left side panel.

Step 9 : In the Options dialog, go to the "Display" tab on the left panel and then make sure the "Hidden" checkbox is unchecked. Click "OK" to exit the Options dialog.

This method is effective because by default, hidden content cannot be viewed and is not printed as well. However, they do occupy some extra space in the hard drive or cloud.

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How to Delete a Blank Page Amid Your Work in Word

Losing formatting while trying to remove a blank page from your document can be insanely frustrating, and it feels like hours of effort have gone to waste.To help you tackle this problem without losing all your hard work, I've outlined the steps below on how to delete a blank page in Word . These instructions are designed to be simple and easy that work across various platforms, including mobile, Windows, and Mac. For the demonstration, I'll use WPS Office, a free software that's fully compatible with Word documents and even allows you to convert files to PDF without affecting the format.

Using Navigation pane

Using the navigation pane provides a more comprehensive view of your entire document, allowing you to see all the pages at once. Let's take a look at how to delete pages in Word using the navigation pane.

Step 1 : In Microsoft Word, go to the View Tab and check the "Navigation Pane" checkbox in the Show section.

Step 2 : The navigation pane dialog box will appear on the left side of the screen. Click on the "Pages" tab to see an overview of the pages in your document.

Step 3 : Now simply scroll through the navigation pane, select the Blank pages, and press the "Backspace" or "Delete" key on your keyboard to delete the blank page from your document.

It was as simple as that. I can tell you were about to lose your cool because, as a writer, I've been there too, spending countless hours getting frustrated over something that seems trivial but isn't—like deleting a page. But once you know how, it's really simple. Knowing how to operate on a navigation pane is especially important when you're working on a thesis, where there are so many pages, and having a clear overview of your content is crucial.

The navigation pane can be a lifesaver, not just for deleting unwanted pages but also for quickly checking if everything is in order. It lets you easily skim through your document, ensuring you haven't missed anything or have extra pages hiding in plain sight.

How to Delete a Page with Text in Word

If you find an unwanted blank page in the middle of your thesis, you can remove it by following these methods to delete a page with text in Word:

1.Removing page break

Page breaks are simple shortcuts provided by Microsoft Word to insert a new page into the document. Without them, you'd need to press Enter repeatedly to begin a new page. However, these page breaks can sometimes go unnoticed and result in blank pages in a document, which may look undesirable in a thesis or dissertation. Here are the steps to remove the blank pages caused by page breaks in a document.

Step 1 : In Microsoft Word, go to the Home tab and click on the "Paragraph Marks" icon in the Paragraph section.

Step 2 : Once the paragraph marks are enabled, scroll down to the blank page in your document. You will see "Page Break" written in your document.

Step 3 : Either select it with your cursor or place the cursor right after the page break and press "Backspace" to remove the empty page from your document.

2.Use the Shortcut Ctrl+G and Navigation Pane

Now, let's suppose there are some empty pages in the document, and there are no page breaks or section breaks. Instead, a new page was created by pressing the "Enter" key on the keyboard several times. If there is such a blank page in your document, there is a simple method to quickly find the blank pages, select all the text on the blank page, and then delete it from the document. Let's look at the step-by-step process of deleting pages in Word:

Step 1 : So, let's open our thesis in Microsoft Word, and at the bottom left on the status bar, click on the "Page" option to open the navigation pane.

Step 2 : Now, in the Navigation pane, identify the blank pages in your thesis and click on them to select the page.

Step 3 : Next, press the shortcut key "CTRL + G" to open the "Go To" feature in Microsoft Word.

Step 4 : In the "Go to what" pane, click on "Page" and then in the "Enter page number" field, enter "\page".

Step 5 : Now, click on the "Go To" button, and you will notice the entire page has been selected in the background.

Step 6 : Simply "Close" the "Go To" dialog by pressing the "Esc" key on your keyboard, and then press the "Backspace" key to remove the blank page.

Students working on a thesis can breathe a sigh of relief with these methods. Removing blank pages in Word is simple and straightforward, making it easier to maintain a clean and organized document. Not only will these methods help you get rid of unwanted pages, but they'll also give you a better overview of your entire thesis, allowing you to focus on the content without worrying about formatting issues.

Use WPS AI to Polish Your Writing

WPS Office has done a great job by establishing a name for itself by offering a free, user-friendly alternative to expensive office software, providing a range of tools that are ideal for students across various fields. Now, with the introduction of WPS AI, it's making student life even easier by generating accurate content, providing writing assistance, and helping to refine English in a tone that suits your writing style. If you're a student looking to lighten your workload and improve the quality of your work, WPS AI could be a valuable addition to your toolkit. Start with WPS AI and see how AI can ease the burden of your academic tasks.

Converting Your Thesis/Dissertation to PDF Without Losing Format

It's definitely not rare to experience formatting issues when you convert your thesis to PDF at the last minute, especially when you're preparing for submission. This is a peak frustration moment, as you thought you were all set, but now your document looks like a messed up pile of jumbled words. To avoid this stress, I'll guide you on how to effectively convert to PDF using WPS PDF to ensure that your formatting stays intact. By following these simple steps, you'll get a perfect PDF version of your thesis without the hassle and worry.

Step 1 : First, open the Word document using WPS Office, then navigate to the Menu located at the top left corner of the page.

Step 2 : Within the menu, choose "Save as" and then opt for "Other formats" from the menu that appears.

Step 3 : Within the Save as options, switch the file type to "PDF" in the "File Type" field, and then click on "Save" to save your document as a PDF.

FAQs about Deleting a Page in Word

Q1. how do i delete an extra page in word for mac.

Here are the methods for deleting a page in Microsoft Word on macOS, based on whether the page is at the end or in the middle of the document:

1. Delete Blank Page at the End :

Step 1: Place your cursor at the start of the blank page.

Step 2: Press the Delete key.

Step 3: The entire page, including text and formatting, will be removed.

2. Delete a Specific Page in the Middle: To delete a specific page within your document, use the Navigation Pane :

Step 1: Navigate to the "View" tab within Microsoft Word.

Step 2: Select the Navigation Pane; a sidebar will display on the left.

Step 3: Within the Navigation Pane, you'll find thumbnail previews of each page.

Step 4: Look for the page you want to delete.

Step 5: Right-click on the thumbnail of that page.

Step 6: Choose "Delete" from the context menu. The selected page will be deleted.

Q2. How do I Delete an extra page in Word after a section break?

To delete an extra page in Word after a section break, follow these steps:

Step 1 : Within Microsoft Word, navigate to the Home tab and select the "Paragraph Marks" icon located in the Paragraph section.

Step 2 : After enabling paragraph marks, scroll through your document until you reach the blank page. You'll notice the presence of "Section Break" written in the document.

Step 3 : Use your cursor to select the section break or position the cursor immediately after it, then press the "Backspace" key to eliminate the empty page from your document.

Q3. How do you Delete a page break in Word that won't Delete?

Here is a straightforward guide on how to delete a page break in Word :

Step 1 : Go to the "Home" tab.

Step 2 : Click "Show/Hide" to reveal non-printing characters like paragraph markers, section breaks, and page breaks.

Step 3 : Double-click on the page break you want to delete to select it.

Step 4 : Press the "Delete" key on your keyboard to remove the selected page break.

Wrapping Up: Removing Extra Pages in Word

This guide may seem overwhelming, especially with so many methods to choose from, but it has the solution to whatever problem you face regarding an extra page in Word that you need to remove. With these tips, you should be able to get back to submitting your paper with full confidence. If you're a student working on an important assignment, WPS Office is the perfect choice, thanks to its AI-backed capabilities and direct export to PDF, which keeps your formatting intact. Download WPS Office today for a seamless experience and to streamline your student life!

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