Insert Total Page Numbers in Word: Showing Page X of Y

Inserting the Total Page Count Into a Word Document

If you want your document to show something like “Page 3 of 12” rather than just the current page number, Word has a built-in field for the total page count that updates automatically as the document grows or shrinks.

1. Click into your header or footer (or wherever you want the count to appear), then go to the Insert tab.
2. Click Quick Parts > Field.
3. In the Field names list, choose NumPages, then click OK.

To build the full “Page X of Y” format, combine it with the current-page field: insert a Page field, type the word ” of ” after it, then insert the NumPages field the same way. Both fields update automatically whenever the document’s pagination changes, so you don’t need to manually correct them after editing — though if the count looks stale after a big edit, select the whole document (Ctrl+A) and press F9 to force all fields to refresh.

An Even Quicker Way: The Built-In Building Block

Word actually has this exact “Page X of Y” combination pre-built so you don’t have to insert two separate fields and type ” of ” between them by hand: with your cursor in the header or footer, go to Insert > Header & Footer > Page Number > Top of Page / Bottom of Page (whichever matches where your header/footer sits), then choose one of the styles listed under Page X of Y partway down the gallery. It inserts the same underlying NumPages/Page field pair described above, just pre-formatted for you.

Starting the Count From a Different Page

If your document has a title page or table of contents you don’t want included in the visible numbering, use Layout > Page Setup dialog launcher > Layout tab > Section start combined with a section break before the content you want numbered, then set that section’s Page Number Format > Start at value — this affects the visible page number but not the NumPages total, so “Page 1 of 12” will still correctly reflect the document’s actual full length.

Works the Same Across Every Current Version of Word

This field-based approach is unchanged across every currently supported version of Word — Word 2016 through Word 2024/Microsoft 365 all use the identical Quick Parts > Field dialog and NumPages/Page field names, so these steps don’t need a version-specific caveat.

Resources

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