How do you start page numbering on the second page of a Word document?

You are preparing a library renovation brief for the facilities committee. The cover has the project name and date, and the body starts with Project Overview. Split the cover and body into two sections in Cue Office. The cover footer stays blank, the second page shows 1, and the third shows 2.

Prepare the sample

Create a blank document in Cue Office, then copy and paste the cover and body. You can also open an existing Microsoft Word document (.docx) in Cue Office. These steps use the English interface on macOS.

English sample
Show the full English sample 
Harbor Library Renovation
Project Brief
Prepared for the Facilities Committee
November 2026

This brief outlines the proposed improvements to the library entrance and reading room.
Project Overview
The renovation will replace the entrance ramp, improve task lighting, and add accessible seating in the main reading room. The library will remain open during most of the work.

Work Schedule
The contractor will complete the entrance first, then move to the reading room. Staff will post temporary routes before each phase begins.

Third-page sample

Site Access
The east entrance will remain open throughout construction. Staff will post a temporary map at the information desk and update it whenever the route changes.

Start the second page at 1

  1. Split the cover and body into sections. Save the sample first. Put the cursor at the end of the cover sentence beginning This brief outlines…, after the period and before Project Overview. Open Layout → Breaks. Under Section Breaks, choose Next Page. Immediately press ⌘S to save, then check that Project Overview has moved to the second page. The section break starts the body on a new page and lets you set its numbering separately.
    Next Page under Section Breaks in the Layout tab’s Breaks menu
    Under Section Breaks, choose Next Page. Click the image to see the full interface.
  2. Insert a page number on the second page. Click the text on the second page and select Insert → Page Number → Bottom Center. The centered footer initially shows 2 because numbering still follows the document’s page order.
    Page Number menu showing Bottom Center and Format Page Numbers
    Choose Bottom Center to center the page number in the footer.
  3. Restart numbering at 1 in section 2. Click the text on the second page again and open Insert → Page Number → Format Page Numbers…. Check that the dialog applies to section 2. Set Start at to 1, click OK, and save.
    Page Number Format dialog with Start at set to 1 and a note that it applies to section 2
    Set the starting number to 1 when the dialog applies to section 2.

If the dialog shows section 1, cancel, click the body text on the second page, and reopen the format settings. If the second page still shows 2, check that Start at is set to 1.

Check the cover and body footers

Check that the cover footer is blank and that the second page shows 1 in the center of its footer. To check the next number, place the cursor at the end of the Work Schedule paragraph and press ⌘Return to insert a regular page break. Paste the third-page sample and save. The third page is still in section 2, so its footer shows 2.

Side-by-side view of the Harbor Library Renovation cover and the Project Overview body page
Blank center of the cover footerCover · blank Number 1 centered in the footer of the second pageSecond page · 1 Number 2 centered in the footer of the third page after a regular page breakThird page · 2
The cover and second-page footers were captured after setting the page numbers. The third-page footer was captured after inserting a regular page break. Click an image to view the original.

Rename a body heading with Cue AI

If the committee asks for a more specific heading, Cue AI can rename that one heading while preserving the cover, section break, and page numbers. Open Cue AI and enter this tested prompt.

Rename the body heading “Project Overview” to “Renovation Overview”. Keep the cover, section break, and page numbering unchanged. Apply the edit directly.
Actual conversation Cue AI shows the full rename prompt, one replacement in one block, and its reply confirming the change
Document after the edit
Renovation Overview heading on the second page after the editUpdated body heading The second-page footer still shows 1 after the editSecond page still shows 1 The third-page footer still shows 2 after the editThird page still shows 2
The conversation screenshot includes the full prompt, one actual action, and the complete reply. The result was captured separately after closing the AI panel.

After the edit, the heading on the second page reads Renovation Overview. Open the result images to check that the cover remains blank and the body footers still show 1 and 2.

Once page numbering is set, you can use Cue AI to polish paragraphs, summarize key points, adjust headings, or continue writing.