How to Add Page Numbers in Google Docs

Google Docs does not number pages until you tell it to. The numbers live in the header or footer, and one menu command adds them to every page at once.

Open the Insert menu

Click Insert, then hover Page numbers. A small panel shows four layout thumbnails and a More options link.

Pick a layout

The four thumbnails are: number in the header on every page, number in the header starting on page 2, number in the footer on every page, and number in the footer starting on page 2. Click one. Google Docs inserts the number at the top or bottom of every page and returns you to the document.

Set a start number or section

For more control, click Insert, Page numbers, More options. In the dialog, choose Header or Footer under Position, tick or untick Show on first page, and type a value under Start at to begin counting at something other than 1. If the document has section breaks, use the Apply to dropdown to number only the current section. Click Apply.

Format the number

Double-click the header or footer to open it. The page number is ordinary text, so you can select it and change the font, size, or alignment from the toolbar, or type "Page " in front of it. Click back in the body of the document to close the header.

Remove the numbers

Double-click the header or footer, select the number, and press Delete. The number is a single field, so deleting it once removes it from every page.

To skip the title page. Double-click the header, tick Different first page, then delete the number from the first page only. Pages 2 onward keep their numbers. To make page 2 show "1", open More options and set Start at to 0.

Page count. To show "Page 3 of 10", place the cursor after the page number, type " of ", then click Insert, Page numbers, Page count. In the mobile app, tap the plus icon, then Page number, and pick a layout.