How to Number Pages in a Book (Front Matter, Roman Numerals and Word)

Quick answer: in a printed book, page 1 is the first page of the main text, and it sits on a right-hand (odd) page. The pages before it, the front matter, are either left without visible numbers or numbered in lowercase Roman numerals (i, ii, iii). Every page is counted, including blank ones, but display pages such as the title page, the copyright page and blank pages show no number. To do this in Word, split the front matter and the main text into separate sections and number each one on its own.

Key takeaways

• Page 1 is where the story or main text begins, not the cover or the title page.
• Odd numbers are always on the right. Right-hand pages (rectos) carry odd numbers; left-hand pages (versos) carry even numbers.
• Front matter is counted separately. Traditional design uses i, ii, iii for it; many self-published books simply leave those pages unnumbered.
• Some pages are counted but show no number: the half title, title page, copyright page, dedication, blank pages and often chapter opening pages.
• In Word, the trick is sections. A section break between the front matter and chapter one lets each part have its own numbering.

How page numbering works in a printed book

Book designers follow conventions described in The Chicago Manual of Style's chapter on books, and the print platforms expect the same layout. Amazon KDP's guide to front matter, body matter and back matter says, for example, that the half title, title, copyright and contents pages carry no page numbers or headers, that chapter one starts on a right-facing page, and that page numbers in the body appear as Arabic numerals.

Why the main text starts on a right-hand page

When a book lies open, the right-hand page is the one the eye goes to first, so chapter one, and in many books every chapter, opens on the right. If the front matter ends on a right-hand page, a blank left-hand page is added before chapter one. That blank page is still counted in the front matter; it just carries no number. The same is true of any blank page needed later to make a chapter start on the right.

Roman numerals or no numbers in the front matter?

Both are acceptable. Roman numerals are traditional and useful when the front matter is long (a long foreword or preface, a list of illustrations) and readers may need to refer to it. For a short front matter section, which is common in novels and memoirs, leaving those pages unnumbered looks clean and avoids confusion. What matters is that chapter one begins at page 1 and that the contents page matches the printed numbers.

How to number pages in Microsoft Word

These steps follow Microsoft's own guides to page numbers in different sections and starting page numbering later in a document.

1. Add a section break before chapter one. Put the cursor at the start of chapter one and choose Layout > Breaks > Next Page.
2. Unlink the two sections. Double-click the footer (or header) on the first page of chapter one and turn off Link to Previous. If the button is dimmed, the section break is missing.
3. Number the main text. Still in chapter one, choose Insert > Page Number, pick a position, then open Format Page Numbers and set Start at to 1.
4. Number the front matter, or leave it blank. Click into the front matter's footer. Either delete the page numbers there, or open Format Page Numbers and choose the i, ii, iii number format.
5. Hide numbers on display pages. Use Different First Page in a section to hide the number on its first page, and add further section breaks where you need more pages without numbers.
6. Check facing pages. Turn on Different Odd & Even Pages if your numbers sit in the outer corners, so odd numbers are on the right and even numbers on the left.

How to number pages in Google Docs

Google Docs adds page numbers through Insert > Page elements > Page number, and More options lets you apply numbering from a chosen point or section (Google Docs help). Docs offers fewer controls than Word, so for a print book most authors finish the layout in Word or a dedicated layout program before exporting the print-ready PDF.

Common mistakes

• Counting the cover as page 1. The cover is a separate file; the interior starts with the half title or title page.
• Chapter one on a left-hand page. Add a blank page before it so it opens on the right.
• Numbers on blank pages. Blank pages are counted but should show no number or header.
• A contents page that does not match. Update the table of contents after the final layout, not before.
• One continuous sequence from the title page. If the front matter is numbered 1, 2, 3, chapter one starts on page 7 or 9 and every reference shifts. Restart at 1 for the main text.
• Different page numbers in the ebook. Ebooks reflow text and do not use fixed page numbers, so remove manual page numbers from the ebook file.

Before you send the book to print

• Page 1 is the first page of chapter one (or of the introduction, if it is part of the main text), and it is on the right.
• Odd numbers are on right-hand pages throughout.
• No number shows on the title page, copyright page, dedication or any blank page.
• The table of contents matches the printed page numbers.
• The total page count is even, as printers require, with blank pages added at the end if needed.

Page numbering is one of the details that makes a book look professionally produced, and it is easy to break when text moves late in editing. Our book formatting service sets up the sections, numbering, running heads and blank pages for print, and our proofreading service checks that the contents page matches the final layout. To see what each package includes, visit our self-publishing packages. For the pages around your text, read how to write acknowledgements, or start at the beginning with how to write a book.