Insert page numbers on worksheets

If you want numbers shown on pages when you print a Microsoft Excel worksheet, you can insert page numbers in the headers or footers of the worksheet pages. Page numbers that you insert are not displayed on the worksheet in Normal view— they are shown only in Page Layout view and on the printed pages.

Note: The screen shots in this article were taken in Excel 2016. If you have a different version your view might be slightly different, but unless otherwise noted, the functionality is the same.

Add page numbers on a single worksheet

Header & Footer option on the Insert tab

  1. Click the worksheet for which you want to insert page numbers.
  2. On the Insert tab, in the Text group, click Header & Footer.

Excel displays the worksheet in Page Layout view. You can also click Page Layout

In the Header & Footer Elements group, <a href=click Page Number" />

on the status bar to display this view.

  • On the worksheet, select Click to add header or Click to add footer. This displays the Header & Footer Tools, adding the Design tab.
  • To specify where in the header or footer you want the page number to appear, click inside the Left section, Center section, or Right section box of the header or footer.
  • On the Design tab, in the Header & Footer Elements group, click Page Number.

    On the View tab, click Normal

    The placeholder &[Page] appears in the selected section. If want to add the total number of pages, type a space after &[Page], type the word of followed by a space and then, in the Header & Footer Elements group, click Number of Pages. The placeholder &[Page] of &[Pages] appears in the selected section

  • Click anywhere outside the header or footer area to display the actual page numbers in Page Layout view.
  • After you have completed working in Page Layout view, on the View tab, in the Workbook Views group, click Normal.

    You can also click Normal

    Add page numbers in multiple worksheets

    You can insert page numbers on multiple worksheets in your workbook by using the Page Setup dialog box. For example, if your workbook contains two worksheets that are both two pages long, the first worksheet will contain two pages numbered 1 and 2. The second worksheet will also contain two pages numbered 1 and 2.

    Tip: To add page numbers to all worksheets in a workbook sequentially, you must change the number that each worksheet starts with. For more information, see Set a different number for the starting page.

    1. Click the worksheets or chart sheets to which you want to add page numbers.

    Click the sheet tab.

    If you don't see the tab that you want, click the tab scrolling buttons to display the tab, and then click the tab.

    Click the tab scrolling arrows

    Two or more adjacent sheets

    Click the tab for the first sheet. Then hold down Shift while you click the tab for the last sheet that you want to select.

    Two or more nonadjacent sheets

    Click the tab for the first sheet. Then hold down Ctrl while you click the tabs of the other sheets that you want to select.

    All sheets in a workbook

    Right-click a sheet tab, and then click Select All Sheets on the shortcut menu.

    Tip: When multiple worksheets are selected, [Group] appears in the title bar at the top of the worksheet. To cancel a selection of multiple worksheets in a workbook, click any unselected worksheet. If no unselected sheet is visible, right-click the tab of a selected sheet, and then click Ungroup Sheets.

    1. On the Page Layout tab, in the Page Setup group, click the Dialog Box Launcher

    next to Page Setup.

    . The placeholder &[Page] appears in the selected section.

    Set a different number for the starting page

    To number all of the worksheet pages in a workbook sequentially, first add page numbers to all worksheets in a workbook, and then use the following procedure to begin the page number for each worksheet with the appropriate number. For example, if your workbook contains two worksheets that with both be printed as two pages, you would use this procedure to begin the page numbering for the second worksheet with the number 3.

      On the Page Layout tab, in the Page Setup group, click the Dialog Box Launcher

    next to Page Setup.

    Change the order in which pages are numbered

    By default, Excel numbers and prints pages from the top down and then left to right on the worksheet, but you can change the direction to number and print pages from left to right and then from the top down.

    1. Click the worksheet for which you want to change the numbering order.
    2. On the Page Layout tab, in the Page Setup group, click the Dialog Box Launcher

    next to Page Setup.

    Delete page numbers

    1. Click the worksheets or chart sheets for which you want to remove page numbers.

    Click the sheet tab.

    If you don't see the tab that you want, click the tab scrolling buttons to display the tab, and then click the tab.

    Click the tab scrolling arrows

    Two or more adjacent sheets

    Click the tab for the first sheet. Then hold down Shift while you click the tab for the last sheet that you want to select.

    Two or more nonadjacent sheets

    Click the tab for the first sheet. Then hold down Ctrl while you click the tabs of the other sheets that you want to select.

    All sheets in a workbook

    Right-click a sheet tab, and then click Select All Sheets on the shortcut menu.

    Tip: When multiple worksheets are selected, [Group] appears in the title bar at the top of the worksheet. To cancel a selection of multiple worksheets in a workbook, click any unselected worksheet. If no unselected sheet is visible, right-click the tab of a selected sheet, and then click Ungroup Sheets on the shortcut menu.

    1. On the Page Layout tab, in the Page Setup group, click the Dialog Box Launcher

    next to Page Setup.

    Note: You may have to scroll to the top of the list to click (none).

    Add page numbers

    1. On the Insert tab, click Header & Footer. Excel automatically changes to Page Layout view.
    2. On Header & Footer tab, click either the Header or Footer, and then select the page number format you want. Header page numbers appear at the top of the printed page, and footer page numbers appear at the bottom.
    3. When you're done, you can either stay in Page Layout view, or you can switch to Normal view by clicking Normal on the View tab.

    Set a different number for the starting page

    You can make the first printed sheet start with a page number other than 1. This is helpful if there are other printed pages that will come before the sheet. For example, you might print a 2-page Word document that will account for pages 1 and 2, and your Excel sheet would then start on page 3.

    1. On the Page Layout tab, click Page Setup.
    2. On the Page tab, in the First page number box, type the number you want for the first page number. For example, if you wanted the first page number to be 3, you'd type the number 3.
    3. Click OK.

    If you are using a page number format that counts the total pages, for example: Page 3 of 7, you'll need to make an adjustment to the second number. This adjustment ensures you don't end up with something like this: Page 10 of 7.

    1. In Page Setup, click the Header/Footer tab, and then click either Custom Header or Custom Footer.
    2. After Page &[Page] of &[Pages], type the plus sign (+), and then type the number of pages that come before your first page number. For example, if 3 is your first page number, you need to include 2 pages in the total page count. So you'd type a +2 at the end: Page &[Page] of &[Pages]+2 and then click OK.
    3. Click OK again.

    Change the order that pages are numbered

    1. On the Page Layout tab, click Page Setup, and then click Sheet.
    2. Under Page order, select the page numbering order that you want.

    Remove page numbers

    1. On the Page Layout tab, click Page Setup, and then click Header/Footer.
    2. Under Header or Footer, select (none). You might have to scroll to find (none) at the top of the list.

    Need more help?

    You can always ask an expert in the Excel Tech Community or get support in Communities.