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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

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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

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Basic Page Numbering

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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}

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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}

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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}

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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.

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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}

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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}

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Advanced Page Numbering

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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}

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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}

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Two-Sided Documents

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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}

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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}

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Special Page Numbering Schemes

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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}

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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}

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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}

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Conditional Page Numbering

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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}

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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}

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Multi-Volume Documents

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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}

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Customizing Number Appearance

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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}

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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}

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Troubleshooting Page Numbering

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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}

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Best Practices

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

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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}

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Quick Reference

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Page Numbering Commands

CommandPurposeExample
\pagenumbering{style}Set numbering style\pagenumbering{roman}
\setcounter{page}{n}Set page number\setcounter{page}{1}
\thepageCurrent page numberUse in headers/footers
\pageref{label}Reference page number\pageref{LastPage}

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Numbering Styles

StyleOutputTypical Use
arabic1, 2, 3, 4…Main content
romani, ii, iii, iv…Front matter
RomanI, II, III, IV…Volume numbers
alpha, b, c, d…Appendix sections
AlphA, B, C, D…Appendix chapters

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Position Codes (with fancyhdr)

CodePositionCodePosition
LLeftEEven pages
CCenterOOdd pages
RRightLELeft on even
Next: Learn about Single-sided vs double-sided documents for layout considerations, or explore Headers and footers for complementary page design.