How to add page numbers in Pages on Mac: step by step for Pages 15.4

Before you start: check your Pages version

Open Pages and choose Pages > About Pages to see the version number. Apple's Mac guide for page numbers covers Pages 15.4, so the steps here match that release. If your version is older, some buttons may sit in other places, so check the layout before you follow each step.

Pages 15.4 requires macOS 26 or later. Apple's what's-new page also lists a template collection for Creator Studio subscribers and Siri questions for all users. Creating, viewing, and editing need no subscription, according to Apple.

Pages 15.1 became part of Apple Creator Studio, and new features arrive in that edition. MacRumors reports the subscription costs $12.99 a month or $129 a year in the U.S. Premium templates, Content Hub, and iCloud collaboration files up to 4GB need a subscription.

Put page numbers in the header or footer

Headers sit at the top of each page. Footers sit at the bottom. Most reports, essays, and letters put the page number in the footer, so start there unless your style guide says otherwise.

To open the header or footer, move the pointer to the top or bottom of the page. Keep it there until three header or footer fields appear. Then click one of the fields.

Click Insert Page Number and choose a numbering style from the list. Pages puts the number in the field you clicked. The number updates on every page, so you never type it by hand.

If you add or remove pages later, the number stays in its field. Its value changes as the page order changes. That is the behavior you want in a long document that keeps getting edited.

Put a page number in the body text

Some layouts need the number somewhere other than the header or footer. A worksheet may need a page line in the middle of the page. A form may need a number inside a box. For those, skip the header and footer and use the body text path.

Place the insertion point where the number should go. If the number belongs in a shape, text box, or table cell, double-click inside that object first. Then click Insert in the toolbar and choose Page Number.

Typing the number by hand is the most common mistake here. A typed number stays put after you add or move pages. The Page Number field updates each time the page order changes.

Start numbering at a different page

Some documents start with pages that should not count, such as a cover page or a contents page. In a word-processing document, you can change where the count starts. Click Document in the toolbar, open the Section tab, and choose Page Numbering.

From that panel, pick a numbering style or enter a start number. The change applies to the section you are working in. Check each section after you change it, so no page is numbered by accident.

A thesis or a long report usually has front matter, such as a title page, followed by a body that should start its own count. Put the front matter and the body in different sections. Then set the start number in the body section.

Skip the number on the first page

Apple's Mac guide does not cover skipping the first page of a document. The closest documented option is a setting in the Section tab called Hide on first page of section. Tick it when you want the first page of a section to show no header or footer.

Clear the same box if your header or footer fields go missing. Apple's troubleshooting notes say that in word-processing documents, clearing it brings the fields back. Check the result on screen before you print.

Add 'page X of Y' numbers in Pages

Many formal documents show a page count beside the page number, such as 2 of 8. Apple's steps for this format are written for Pages for iCloud, the browser version. Test the result in the Mac app before you rely on it.

1. Click Insert in the toolbar, then choose Page Number.
2. Type the word of with a space before and after it.
3. Click Insert in the toolbar again, then choose Page Count.

The page count stays accurate when you add or delete pages. You will see the total update as the document changes length.

Pages for iCloud in a browser

Pages for iCloud runs at icloud.com/pages. The page number tools live in the toolbar. Click Insert, then choose Page Number or Page Count. Apple's guide describes those two options for this task.

Word-processing numbering options sit in the Document sidebar, on the Section tab. Page-layout options sit in the Format sidebar. Apple's guide names no browser version, so it does not say which browsers work best.

Page layout documents use Format instead

Pages has two document styles in Apple's guide, word processing and page layout. Page layout documents let you place objects anywhere on the page. For those, the numbering panel sits under Format.

Click an empty corner of the page so nothing is selected. Then click Format and use Page Numbering. If the Format button is dimmed, the format cannot apply to what you selected, so clear the selection and try again.

Fix missing options and grayed-out buttons

The Apple Community thread on this problem dates from 2023. The poster found the page-number option grayed out with no footer. The top reply suggested ticking Header or Footer, using Insert > Page Number, and zooming out to click the gray background. The thread closed without a confirmed fix, so treat it as one user's report.

Keyboard shortcuts for page numbers

Apple's guide does not list a keyboard shortcut for page numbers. You use the toolbar, the header and footer fields, and the sidebars for each step. The one shortcut that matters here is ⌘Z, which undoes your last change.

Learn the menu paths in this guide instead of hunting for a shortcut that does not exist. Write the path on a sticky note if you switch between Pages and Pages for iCloud often.

Common mistakes people make

• Typing the number by hand. Typed numbers do not change after you add or move pages.
• Putting the number in the header of a document that needs it at the bottom.
• Adding a number to a text box without double-clicking inside it first, so the number lands in the wrong place.
• Changing the start number in one section and forgetting the other sections.
• Turning off Header or Footer to fix one page, which removes that area on every page.

What to check after you add page numbers

Scroll through the whole document once. Check the first page, the last page, and any page where a section starts. Look for numbers in the wrong place or a number that repeats by accident.

Next, read the text in the header and footer. A long title in the header can squeeze a number out of place when the field has no room. The note on fields expanding explains why.

If your document also needs footnotes restarted by chapter, read how to restart footnote numbering in Pages on Mac. That guide covers footnote numbers, which this page does not.

If you switch between Pages and Google Docs, read how to add page numbers in Google Docs on Mac. The steps differ, so do not copy them across.