Where to find the page numbering tool in Pages

Page numbers in Apple's Pages app live in the Insert menu, not in a formatting panel. On Mac, click Insert at the top, then scroll down to Page Numbers. On iPad, tap the Insert button (the plus sign in a circle), then find Page Numbers in the menu that appears. Pages will place a number in the header or footer depending on your document template, and you can move it from there.

The location matters because page numbers are technically part of the header or footer section — the areas that repeat on every page. This is why you can't just type a number into the document body and have it increment automatically. Once you insert page numbers, Pages handles the counting for you.

Key Takeaways

  • Page numbers are inserted through the Insert menu on both Mac and iPad, not through formatting options.
  • Page numbers automatically appear in the header or footer and increment on each page without manual work.
  • You can change the starting number, the format (1, i, a, etc.), and the position by editing the header or footer.
  • Page numbers will not appear on the first page if your template is set to hide the header and footer there, which is common for title pages.

Moving page numbers to a different location

After you insert page numbers, they land in a default spot — usually the center of the footer. To move them, you need to edit the header or footer itself. On Mac, double-click the header or footer area at the top or bottom of the page. On iPad, tap once in the header or footer area, then tap Edit if a menu appears.

Once you're in edit mode, you can click and drag the page number box to the left, center, or right. You can also delete it and type text around it — for example, "Page 5 of 12" — though the total page count requires a separate insertion. If you want page numbers only on certain pages, you'll need to use section breaks to create different headers or footers for different parts of the document.

Changing the number format and starting point

Pages offers several number formats beyond plain digits. Right-click (Mac) or long-press (iPad) on the page number itself while in header or footer edit mode, then look for Format or Page Number Format. You'll see options like 1, 2, 3 (Arabic numerals), i, ii, iii (lowercase Roman), I, II, III (uppercase Roman), a, b, c (lowercase letters), and A, B, C (uppercase letters).

To change where the numbering starts — for instance, if your title page should not count as page 1 — use section breaks. Insert a section break before the page where you want numbering to begin, then edit that section's header or footer. Right-click the page number and select Start At, then enter the number you want that page to show. This is common when your document has a cover page or introduction that should not be numbered.

Hiding page numbers on the first page

Many documents, especially those with a title page, should not display a page number on the first page. In Pages, this is controlled by the template and section settings. On Mac, go to Format (top menu) and look for Section options, or double-click the first page's header and footer to edit it directly. On iPad, tap Format (the paintbrush icon), then scroll to find header and footer controls.

Look for a checkbox or toggle labeled Hide on first page or Different first page. If your template already has this enabled, the page number will not appear on page 1 automatically. If you need to hide it on other pages, you'll need to create a new section at that point and turn off page numbers for that section only.

Using page numbers with total page count

If you want to show "Page 3 of 12" instead of just "3", you need to insert both a page number and a page count. Insert the page number first as described above. Then, while still in header or footer edit mode, position your cursor after the page number, type " of ", and go to Insert again. Look for Page Count (separate from Page Numbers). Pages will automatically calculate the total and update it if you add or remove pages.

This format is useful for formal documents, reports, and anything where readers need to know the document's full length at a glance. The page count updates in real time, so you don't have to manually change it when the document grows.

Troubleshooting page numbers that don't appear

If you've inserted page numbers but they're not showing, the most common cause is that your template hides headers and footers by default. On Mac, click Format in the top menu, then look for Section or Document settings. On iPad, tap Format, then scroll to header and footer options. Make sure the header or footer is toggled on — you may see a checkbox next to Header or Footer that needs to be checked.

Another reason page numbers might not show is if you're viewing the document in a mode that hides formatting. On Mac, make sure you're not in outline view. On iPad, ensure you're in editing mode, not reading mode. If page numbers appear in some sections but not others, you likely have different section settings — check whether those sections have headers and footers enabled separately.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I have different page numbers in different sections of my document?

Yes. Insert a section break where you want the numbering to change, then edit the header or footer in that new section separately. You can set a different starting number, format, or position for each section. Right-click the page number and choose Start At to set the number for that section.

What if I want page numbers only on some pages, not all?

Create a section break before the first page where you want numbers to appear. Edit that section's header or footer to include the page number, and make sure the earlier section's header or footer does not have one. This gives you control over which pages display numbers.

Do page numbers count blank pages or pages I've hidden?

Page numbers count all pages in the document, including blank ones. If you've hidden a page using section breaks or other methods, it still counts toward the total. If you need to exclude pages from numbering, you'll need to delete them or move them to a separate document.

Can I add text before or after the page number, like "Page 5"?

Yes. Double-click the header or footer to edit it, then click before or after the page number box and type your text. You can type "Page " before the number, or "of 20" after it. The page number itself will still update automatically on each page.