How to Add and Remove Line Numbers in Microsoft Word

Line numbers in Microsoft Word place sequential numbers in the left margin of your document, which is useful for legal documents, scripts, academic manuscripts, or any text that needs precise reference points. This guide shows you how to add line numbers to the entire document, specific sections, or individual paragraphs, and how to remove them when you no longer need them. You can follow along in Word for Microsoft 365, Word 2021, 2019, or 2016—the menu paths are the same in all recent versions.

What You’ll Need

• A Windows PC or Mac with Microsoft Word installed (any version from 2016 onward).
• A document open in Word where you want to add or remove line numbers.
• Basic familiarity with Word’s ribbon interface (the toolbar at the top).

Step-by-Step: Adding Line Numbers

1. Open your document in Microsoft Word. If you haven’t created it yet, type some sample text to see the line numbers appear.
2. Go to the Layout tab (called “Page Layout” in some older versions) on the ribbon. It’s between the “Design” and “References” tabs.
3. Look for the “Line Numbers” button in the “Page Setup” group. It’s the icon that looks like a few lines with numbers on the left. Click it to open a drop-down menu.
4. Choose a numbering option from the menu:
   • Continuous: Numbers every line in the document from start to finish without restarting.
   • Restart Each Page: Numbers start at 1 on every new page.
   • Restart Each Section: Numbers restart at 1 at the beginning of each section (you’ll need to have sections defined).
   • Suppress for Current Paragraph: This removes line numbers from the paragraph where your cursor is placed, but keeps them elsewhere.
5. Click your chosen option and the line numbers will appear immediately in the left margin of your document.
6. To customize the numbering (e.g., start at a number other than 1, or set the interval), click “Line Number Options…” at the bottom of the drop-down menu. This opens the “Page Setup” dialog box.
7. In the Page Setup dialog, click the “Layout” tab (if not already selected), then click the “Line Numbers…” button at the bottom.
8. In the “Line Numbers” dialog box, check the box that says “Add line numbering”. Then set:
   • Start at: The first number to use (e.g., 1, 5, 100).
   • From text: The distance between the number and the text (default is Auto).
   • Count by: The interval at which numbers appear (e.g., 1, 2, 5).
   • Numbering: Choose “Restart each page,” “Restart each section,” or “Continuous.”
9. Click OK on both dialog boxes to apply the settings.

Step-by-Step: Removing Line Numbers

1. Go to the Layout tab on the ribbon.
2. Click the “Line Numbers” button (same place as before).
3. Select “None” from the drop-down menu. This removes line numbers from the entire document.
4. If you only want to remove line numbers from a specific section, click inside that section first, then go to Layout → Line Numbers → choose “None.” Word will ask if you want to apply the change to “This section” or “Whole document.” Choose “This section.”
5. To remove line numbers from just one paragraph, place your cursor in that paragraph, go to Layout → Line Numbers → select “Suppress for Current Paragraph.”

Common Mistakes

• Clicking “Restart Each Page” but not seeing a restart: This often happens when your document has only one section and you’ve selected “Continuous” in the Line Numbers dialog. Make sure you’ve selected the correct option in the dialog box, not just the quick menu.
• Line numbers not appearing at all: This usually means the “Add line numbering” checkbox is unchecked in the Line Numbers dialog, or you’ve accidentally suppressed line numbers for the entire document.
• Numbers appear in the margin but are cut off: This happens when the left margin is too small. Increase the left margin or the “From text” distance in the Line Numbers dialog.
• Applying changes to the whole document when you only wanted a section: Always check the “Apply to” drop-down in the Page Setup dialog. If it says “Whole document,” you’ll affect everything.

Tips

• Use sections for different numbering styles: If you want line numbers in the body of a contract but not on the title page, insert a section break (Layout → Breaks → Next Page) and apply line numbers only to the later section.
• Line numbers are automatically updated: If you add or delete lines, the numbers adjust themselves. You don’t need to do anything manually.
• Line numbers appear in print and PDF: They are part of the page layout, so they show up when you print or export to PDF. If you don’t want them in a PDF, remove them before exporting.
• Use “Count by” for readability: For long documents, setting “Count by” to 5 or 10 makes the numbers easier to read without cluttering the margin.
• Keyboard shortcut for quick toggle: There’s no built-in shortcut, but you can add the “Line Numbers” command to the Quick Access Toolbar for one-click access.

Troubleshooting

• Line numbers are not showing up: First, check if you’re in “Web Layout” view. Line numbers only appear in “Print Layout” view. Switch to Print Layout (View → Print Layout). If they still don’t show, go to Layout → Line Numbers → Line Number Options → Layout → Line Numbers and make sure “Add line numbering” is checked.
• Line numbers are there but they’re all the same number: This happens when the document is formatted as a single long paragraph or when you’ve suppressed line numbers for most paragraphs. Select all text (Ctrl+A) and check if “Suppress for Current Paragraph” is active. If so, remove it by going to Layout → Line Numbers → uncheck “Suppress for Current Paragraph.”
• Numbers restart unexpectedly: This can occur if you have section breaks that are set to “Restart each section” in the Line Numbers dialog. To make numbering continuous, go to Layout → Line Numbers → Line Number Options → Layout → Line Numbers → select “Continuous” under Numbering.
• Line numbers are too close to the text: Increase the “From text” value in the Line Numbers dialog. A value of 0.1″ to 0.2″ usually works well.
• Can’t remove line numbers from a specific section: Make sure your cursor is actually inside that section. Click in the section, then go to Layout → Line Numbers → None. If that doesn’t work, go to Line Number Options and set the “Apply to” drop-down to “This section” before clicking OK.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can I add line numbers to only part of my document?

Yes. Insert a section break before and after the part you want numbered, then apply line numbers to that section only. The rest of the document will remain unnumbered.

2. Do line numbers appear in the final printed document?

Yes, line numbers are part of the page layout and will appear in printed copies and PDF exports, unless you remove them before printing.

3. Can I change the font or color of line numbers?

Line numbers use the same font and color as the text by default. To change them, you’d need to modify the “Line Number” style (which is based on the Normal style). However, this is not straightforward and may affect other elements.

4. How do I make line numbers restart on every page?

Go to Layout → Line Numbers → Line Number Options → Layout → Line Numbers → under “Numbering,” select “Restart each page.” Click OK twice.

5. Why are my line numbers not showing in the header/footer area?

Line numbers are not part of the header/footer; they are automatically placed in the left margin. They only appear in Print Layout view, not in Web Layout or Outline view.

6. Can I remove line numbers from a single paragraph?

Yes. Place your cursor in that paragraph, go to Layout → Line Numbers → select “Suppress for Current Paragraph.” The numbers will disappear for that paragraph only.

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