19.07.2015

Another issue I would like to write about is numbering pages in MS Word. You seem to remember where the Insert page number button is located but every time when formatting your translations, certain difficulties arise, either the number persists on the cover page and won’t go, or odd and even pages are numbered similarly, or the formatting is distorted when you try to make this numbering right. Whew! Sometimes these numbering can really frustrate you.

Actually, it is not a big deal to put everything in order. You just need to know how to handle the breaks.

1) Put a page break from the next page at the end of the cover page. More detail about this is provided here.

2) Go to the page following the cover one. Depending on where you are about to put the page numbers either in the header or in the footer, select INSERT (in the ribbon) –> Headers & Footers –> Page Number. Immediately a header or footer is inserted on your page and Number 2 is assigned to that page.

3) By placing the cursor in the second page header (in my case), go to the Design tab in the ribbon, select the Navigation button and press the Link to previous button to break the link between the sections.

4) After that, you can remove the number from the cover page.

5) Further go to the Design tab (in the Ribbon), Page Number, Page Number Format, tick the Start at placing 1 in the field.

6) Voila! There is no number on the cover page and the numbering starts from 2 on the second page.

How to make different numbering in the odd and even pages

1) Proceed as described above.

2) Select the header or footer on the page you need to number. For this click on the same with the left button of your mouse. It would be easier to find the headers and footers if you turn on the formatting symbols.

3) Next tick Different Odd and Even Pages at the Design tab in the ribbon. The number on the page where you are disappears. Nothing to fear. It is normal. Move the cursor to where you want the number to be in the header.

4) Press Page Number in the Design tab in the ribbon and select Current Position.

After that, your cover page is not numbered and odd and even pages are numbered differently.

Is it too problematic to insert correct numbers in MS Word? I will appreciate your comments below.

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About the author

Andrey is an English-Russian technical translator deeply fond of finding new information, solving translation problems and sharing his knowledge of the software he uses.