Page Numbering in LaTeX - Roman, Arabic, and Custom Styles

LaTeX adds page numbers automatically, but you can change the numbering style, restart the counter, hide numbers on selected pages, or show Page X of Y when you need a more formal layout.

Quick answer:

\pagenumbering{roman}   % i, ii, iii
\pagenumbering{arabic}  % 1, 2, 3
\setcounter{page}{1}    % restart from page 1

Use \pagenumbering{...} to change style and \setcounter{page}{...} to restart numbering.Most common jobs: switch front matter to roman numerals, restart page 1 for the main document, hide numbers on title pages, and show Page X of Y with fancyhdr and lastpage.Related topics: Headers and footers | Document classes | Cross-referencing

Common Page Numbering Tasks

Most page-numbering questions fall into one of these patterns:

Start with arabic page numbers like 1, 2, 3
Use roman numerals like i, ii, iii for front matter
Restart numbering after the title page or table of contents
Hide the page number on one page with \thispagestyle{empty}
Show Page X of Y in the footer
Move the number into a custom header or footer with fancyhdr

Basic Page Numbering

Default Numbering

LaTeX automatically numbers pages starting from 1. The page number appears in different locations depending on the document class and page style.

\documentclass{article}
\begin{document}

% Page numbers appear automatically
\section{Introduction}
This is page 1.

\newpage
\section{Methods}
This is page 2.

\newpage
\section{Results}
This is page 3.

\end{document}

Changing Page Number Style

\documentclass{article}
\begin{document}

% Arabic numerals (default)
\pagenumbering{arabic}
Page numbering: 1, 2, 3, 4...

\newpage
% Roman numerals (lowercase)
\pagenumbering{roman}
Page numbering: i, ii, iii, iv...

\newpage
% Roman numerals (uppercase)  
\pagenumbering{Roman}
Page numbering: I, II, III, IV...

\newpage
% Alphabetic (lowercase)
\pagenumbering{alph}
Page numbering: a, b, c, d...

\newpage
% Alphabetic (uppercase)
\pagenumbering{Alph}
Page numbering: A, B, C, D...

\end{document}

Setting Page Number

\documentclass{article}
\begin{document}

% Start numbering from a specific number
\setcounter{page}{5}
This page is numbered 5.

\newpage
This page is numbered 6.

% Reset counter
\setcounter{page}{1}
\newpage
Back to page 1.

\end{document}

Page Number Positioning

If you only want to move the page number, keep the numbering logic simple here and move to Headers and footers when you need a custom header/footer layout.

Using Page Styles

\documentclass{article}
\begin{document}

% Plain style: number at bottom center
\pagestyle{plain}
\section{Section with Plain Style}
Page number appears at bottom center.

\newpage
% Empty style: no page numbers
\pagestyle{empty}  
\section{Section with No Numbers}
This page has no page number.

\newpage
% Headings style: number in header
\pagestyle{headings}
\section{Section with Header Numbers}
Page number appears in header with section name.

\end{document}

Custom Positioning with fancyhdr

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{fancyhdr}

% Set up custom page numbering
\pagestyle{fancy}
\fancyhf{} % Clear all headers and footers

% Page number in different positions
\fancyfoot[L]{Page \thepage}     % Bottom left
% \fancyfoot[C]{\thepage}        % Bottom center  
% \fancyfoot[R]{\thepage}        % Bottom right
% \fancyhead[L]{\thepage}        % Top left
% \fancyhead[C]{\thepage}        % Top center
% \fancyhead[R]{\thepage}        % Top right

\begin{document}

\section{Custom Page Positioning}
Page numbers can appear anywhere you specify.

\newpage
\section{Continued Content}
Consistent positioning across pages.

\end{document}

Advanced Page Numbering

Different Styles for Different Sections

\documentclass{report}
\usepackage{fancyhdr}

\begin{document}

% Front matter with roman numerals
\pagenumbering{roman}
\pagestyle{plain}

\tableofcontents
\newpage

\listoffigures
\newpage

% Main content with arabic numerals
\pagenumbering{arabic}
\setcounter{page}{1}
\pagestyle{fancy}
\fancyhf{}
\fancyhead[R]{\thepage}
\fancyfoot[C]{Main Document}

\chapter{Introduction}
Main content starts with page 1.

\chapter{Methods}
Continues with normal numbering.

% Appendix with different style
\appendix
\pagenumbering{Alph}
\setcounter{page}{1}

\chapter{Additional Data}
Appendix uses alphabetic numbering: A, B, C...

\end{document}

Page Ranges and Prefixes

\documentclass{book}
\usepackage{fancyhdr}

\begin{document}

% Preface with prefix
\pagenumbering{roman}
\renewcommand{\thepage}{Preface-\roman{page}}

\chapter*{Preface}
Pages numbered as: Preface-i, Preface-ii, etc.

\tableofcontents

% Main content
\mainmatter
\pagenumbering{arabic}
\renewcommand{\thepage}{\arabic{page}}

\chapter{Introduction}
Regular numbering: 1, 2, 3...

% Appendix with prefix
\appendix
\renewcommand{\thepage}{App-\Alph{chapter}-\arabic{page}}
\setcounter{page}{1}

\chapter{Data Tables}
Numbered as: App-A-1, App-A-2, etc.

\chapter{Code Listings}  
Numbered as: App-B-1, App-B-2, etc.

\end{document}

Two-Sided Documents

Different Numbering for Odd/Even Pages

\documentclass[twoside]{article}
\usepackage{fancyhdr}

\pagestyle{fancy}
\fancyhf{}

% Different positions for odd and even pages
\fancyfoot[LE]{\thepage}  % Left on even pages
\fancyfoot[RO]{\thepage}  % Right on odd pages

% Alternative: outside corners
% \fancyhead[LE,RO]{\thepage}

% Content in headers
\fancyhead[LE]{\leftmark}  % Section name on left of even pages
\fancyhead[RO]{\rightmark} % Subsection name on right of odd pages

\begin{document}

\section{First Section}
Content that demonstrates two-sided numbering.

\newpage
\subsection{Subsection}
More content to show header differences.

\newpage
\section{Second Section}
Even more content.

\end{document}

Blank Pages in Two-Sided Documents

\documentclass[twoside,openright]{book}
\usepackage{fancyhdr}

% Define style for blank pages
\fancypagestyle{blank}{%
  \fancyhf{}
  \renewcommand{\headrulewidth}{0pt}
  \renewcommand{\footrulewidth}{0pt}
}

% Command to insert blank page
\newcommand{\blankpage}{%
  \newpage
  \thispagestyle{blank}
  \mbox{}
  \newpage
}

\begin{document}

\chapter{First Chapter}
Content here...

% Insert blank page before new chapter
\blankpage

\chapter{Second Chapter}
New chapter content...

\end{document}

Special Page Numbering Schemes

Chapter-Based Numbering

\documentclass{book}

% Redefine page numbering to include chapter
\renewcommand{\thepage}{\thechapter-\arabic{page}}

% Reset page counter at each chapter
\usepackage{chngcntr}
\counterwithin{page}{chapter}

\begin{document}

\chapter{Introduction}
Pages numbered: 1-1, 1-2, 1-3...

\chapter{Methods}
Pages numbered: 2-1, 2-2, 2-3...

\chapter{Results}
Pages numbered: 3-1, 3-2, 3-3...

\end{document}

Section-Based Numbering

\documentclass{article}

% Include section number in page numbering
\renewcommand{\thepage}{\thesection.\arabic{page}}

% Reset page counter for each section
\usepackage{chngcntr}
\counterwithin{page}{section}

\begin{document}

\section{Introduction}
Pages: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3...

\section{Literature Review}
Pages: 2.1, 2.2, 2.3...

\section{Methodology}
Pages: 3.1, 3.2, 3.3...

\end{document}

Total Page Count

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{fancyhdr}
\usepackage{lastpage}

\pagestyle{fancy}
\fancyhf{}

% Show current page of total pages
\fancyfoot[C]{Page \thepage\ of \pageref{LastPage}}

% Alternative with different formatting
% \fancyfoot[C]{\thepage\ / \pageref{LastPage}}
% \fancyfoot[C]{[\thepage\ | \pageref{LastPage}]}

\begin{document}

\section{Introduction}
This shows page X of Y format.

\newpage
\section{Content}
More content to demonstrate numbering.

\newpage
\section{Conclusion}
Final page shows total count.

\end{document}

Conditional Page Numbering

Hide Numbers on Specific Pages

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{fancyhdr}
\usepackage{ifthen}

\pagestyle{fancy}
\fancyhf{}

% Conditional page numbering
\fancyfoot[C]{%
  \ifthenelse{\value{page}=1}
    {} % No number on first page
    {\thepage} % Number on other pages
}

% Alternative: hide on chapter pages
\fancyfoot[C]{%
  \ifthenelse{\boolean{@mainmatter}}
    {\thepage}
    {} % No numbers in front matter
}

\begin{document}

\title{Document Title}
\maketitle

\newpage
\section{Introduction}
This page has a number.

\newpage
\section{Methods}
This page also has a number.

\end{document}

Different Formats by Page Range

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{fancyhdr}

\pagestyle{fancy}
\fancyhf{}

% Different formatting based on page number
\fancyfoot[C]{%
  \ifnum\value{page}<10
    Page 0\thepage  % Zero-padded for pages 1-9
  \else
    Page \thepage   % Normal for pages 10+
  \fi
}

% Alternative: different styles by range
\fancyhead[C]{%
  \ifnum\value{page}<5
    \textit{Introduction Section}
  \else
    \ifnum\value{page}<10
      \textit{Main Content}
    \else
      \textit{Appendices}
    \fi
  \fi
}

\begin{document}

\section{Introduction}
Pages 1-4 show "Introduction Section"

\newpage \newpage \newpage \newpage

\section{Main Content}
Pages 5-9 show "Main Content"

\newpage \newpage \newpage \newpage \newpage

\section{Appendices}
Pages 10+ show "Appendices"

\end{document}

Multi-Volume Documents

Volume and Page Numbering

\documentclass{book}

% Define volume number
\newcounter{volume}
\setcounter{volume}{1}

% Include volume in page numbering
\renewcommand{\thepage}{Vol.\Roman{volume}-\arabic{page}}

% Alternative format
% \renewcommand{\thepage}{\Roman{volume}:\arabic{page}}

\begin{document}

\frontmatter
% Front matter pages: Vol.I-i, Vol.I-ii, etc.

\mainmatter
% Main content: Vol.I-1, Vol.I-2, etc.

\chapter{First Chapter}
Content for volume 1...

% Start new volume (in practice, this would be a new document)
\setcounter{volume}{2}
\setcounter{page}{1}

\chapter{Volume Two Content}
Pages now numbered: Vol.II-1, Vol.II-2, etc.

\end{document}

Customizing Number Appearance

Styling Page Numbers

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{fancyhdr}
\usepackage{xcolor}

\pagestyle{fancy}
\fancyhf{}

% Styled page numbers
\fancyfoot[C]{%
  \textcolor{blue}{\textbf{-- \thepage\ --}}
}

% Alternative styles
% \fancyfoot[C]{\fbox{\thepage}}  % Boxed
% \fancyfoot[C]{\textsc{Page \thepage}}  % Small caps
% \fancyfoot[C]{\Large\thepage}  % Large font

% Decorative numbering
\fancyhead[C]{%
  $\cdot$ \thepage\ $\cdot$
}

\begin{document}

\section{Styled Numbers}
Demonstrates various page number styling options.

\newpage
\section{More Content}
Consistent styling across pages.

\end{document}

Custom Number Commands

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{fancyhdr}

% Custom page number formatting
\newcommand{\fancypagenumber}{%
  \textbf{[Page \thepage]}
}

\newcommand{\circledpagenumber}{%
  \textcircled{\small\thepage}
}

\pagestyle{fancy}
\fancyhf{}

% Use custom commands
\fancyfoot[C]{\fancypagenumber}
% Alternative: \fancyfoot[C]{\circledpagenumber}

\begin{document}

\section{Custom Formatting}
Page numbers use custom styling commands.

\end{document}

Troubleshooting Page Numbering

Common Issues and Solutions

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{fancyhdr}

\begin{document}

% Issue: Page numbers not showing
% Solution: Make sure page style is set
\pagestyle{fancy}
\fancyhf{}
\fancyfoot[C]{\thepage}

% Issue: Numbers in wrong position
% Solution: Clear and reset headers/footers
\fancyhf{}  % Clear everything first
\fancyfoot[C]{\thepage}  % Then set what you want

% Issue: Numbers not updating
% Solution: Use \thepage, not literal numbers
\fancyfoot[C]{\thepage}  % Correct
% \fancyfoot[C]{1}       % Wrong - always shows 1

% Issue: Numbering resets unexpectedly
% Solution: Check for \pagenumbering commands
% Remove unwanted \setcounter{page}{1} commands

Content to demonstrate solutions...

\end{document}

Best Practices

Page numbering guidelines:

Be consistent - Use the same style throughout similar sections
Consider your audience - Academic papers often use different schemes than business documents
Plan ahead - Design your numbering scheme before starting
Test thoroughly - Check numbering across all document sections
Use automation - Let LaTeX handle numbering rather than manual placement
Follow conventions - Front matter typically uses roman numerals, main content uses arabic

Professional Examples

\documentclass[twoside]{book}
\usepackage{fancyhdr}

% Front matter style
\fancypagestyle{frontmatter}{%
  \fancyhf{}
  \fancyfoot[C]{\roman{page}}
  \renewcommand{\headrulewidth}{0pt}
}

% Main content style
\fancypagestyle{mainmatter}{%
  \fancyhf{}
  \fancyhead[LE,RO]{\thepage}
  \fancyhead[LO]{\leftmark}
  \fancyhead[RE]{\rightmark}
  \renewcommand{\headrulewidth}{0.4pt}
}

\begin{document}

% Front matter
\frontmatter
\pagestyle{frontmatter}
\tableofcontents

% Main content
\mainmatter
\pagestyle{mainmatter}

\chapter{Introduction}
Professional numbering scheme...

\end{document}

Quick Reference

Page Numbering Commands

Command	Purpose	Example
`\pagenumbering{style}`	Set numbering style	`\pagenumbering{roman}`
`\setcounter{page}{n}`	Set page number	`\setcounter{page}{1}`
`\thepage`	Current page number	Use in headers/footers
`\pageref{label}`	Reference page number	`\pageref{LastPage}`

Numbering Styles

Style	Output	Typical Use
`arabic`	1, 2, 3, 4…	Main content
`roman`	i, ii, iii, iv…	Front matter
`Roman`	I, II, III, IV…	Volume numbers
`alph`	a, b, c, d…	Appendix sections
`Alph`	A, B, C, D…	Appendix chapters

Position Codes (with fancyhdr)

Code	Position	Code	Position
`L`	Left	`E`	Even pages
`C`	Center	`O`	Odd pages
`R`	Right	`LE`	Left on even

Next: Learn about Single-sided vs double-sided documents for layout considerations, or explore Headers and footers for complementary page design.

​Common Page Numbering Tasks

​Basic Page Numbering

​Default Numbering

​Changing Page Number Style

​Setting Page Number

​Page Number Positioning

​Using Page Styles

​Custom Positioning with fancyhdr

​Advanced Page Numbering

​Different Styles for Different Sections

​Page Ranges and Prefixes

​Two-Sided Documents

​Different Numbering for Odd/Even Pages

​Blank Pages in Two-Sided Documents

​Special Page Numbering Schemes

​Chapter-Based Numbering

​Section-Based Numbering

​Total Page Count

​Conditional Page Numbering

​Hide Numbers on Specific Pages

​Different Formats by Page Range

​Multi-Volume Documents

​Volume and Page Numbering

​Customizing Number Appearance

​Styling Page Numbers

​Custom Number Commands

​Troubleshooting Page Numbering

​Common Issues and Solutions

​Best Practices

​Professional Examples

​Quick Reference

​Page Numbering Commands

​Numbering Styles

​Position Codes (with fancyhdr)