I have some fairly simple tasks to complete here, however, Microsoft Word is making these tasks 1000x more difficult, by doing seemingly random things.



My first big issue is with Page Numbering. I have 58 different forms that need to be combined into one big file. Each of these forms has their own respective page numbers.

Form 1 is 2 pages (1 of 2 & 2 of 2)
Form 38 might be 58 pages (1 of 58, 2 of 58, 3 of 58, etc)

My first thought was to combine all the files in one go to save myself some time. This was a big mistake, because Word completely ignored the page numbers, and made the document page 1-200, not to mention messing up every single bullet point that I had set up. Instead of resetting the bullet point each form, it decided to just continue from the previous, so my bullet points go from A-Z and hundreds of numbers downwards.

For the bulk of the project (it's mostly just text), I decided to convert a bunch of forms to PDF, then back to word, which seems to have kept the format, bullet points, and correct page numbering here.


I am now stuck with 6 pages (these pages have form fields/merge fields on them, so converting wasn't going to work.) The page numbers are set in the footers, I have each footer set to NOT Link with the previous selection (set under the Design tab). And I have custom set each page to start on their respective pages. Microsoft Word is ignoring all of this.

I actually have a cover page, then the forms follow after the first page, so the numbering actually starts on Page 2 of the document. I have this page set to Page 1, but then every subsequent page gets renamed to Page 2. If I attempt to manually edit the page, for some ungodly known reason, everything then gets renamed to what I just named it to, so everything is Page 3, or Page 4, or Page 2, with the exception of Document PAge 2 which is accurate.

Since none of these footers are linked to the previous, and each of these footers are manually set through the Word option to start on a specific page number, what can I do to get my page numbers correct here?

This is driving me crazy, and I don't understand why Word could make something as simply as a page number be so damned complex.

Thanks for any help!

Every time that I see/hear the phrase "Microsoft Word is ignoring all of this" (or similar comment) the first thing that come to my mind is that you are doing something wrong. With your narrative description it also appears you have other problems (ref your bullets comment) other than page numbering. With that in mind, the below listed links may help you:

http://www.addbalance.com/usersguide/sections2007.htm
Working with Styles
Understanding Styles in Microsoft Word

Other posters may offer additional assistance. Hope this helps...

Well, clearly I am doing something wrong, thus the question and situation I am presenting. The phrase "Word is Ignoring" is because "Link to Previous" is unselected, yet, each footer is still linked to the previous footer, which is why I change one, and everything changes.

I'll sift through the links you provided. Thanks.

Somehow, I doubt you've actually unlinked the Section footers; your description suggests not. I've used Word for 25+years and have never encountered such behaviour, nor is it one I recall seeing documented elsewhere. I trust you're aware that unlinking Headers, for example, doesn't unlink footers and that each Section has three headers and footers - primary, first page and even, the linking of each of which is independent of the others.

__________________
Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]

1. Word doesn't really work very well putting a bunch of documents together. It can be made to work, though. (It works much more easily if you plan on this ahead of time.)
2. You need a separate section for each part where you want page numbering to restart.
3. Then you should restart numbering on each page you want to be page 1. Insert > Page Number > Format Page Numbers
4. You can have the same footer throughout, if you want. Sections / Headers and Footers in Microsoft Word 2007-2013
5. You can use the StyleRef Field to change the footer to reflect the contents of each section.
6. You would want to change the NUMPAGES field to a SECTIONPAGES field. To do this, go into the footer and press Alt+F9 to reveal field codes. Then change the code. Press Alt+F9 again to toggle the codes back to hidden.

Note: in some instances the SectionPages field will not work if you have multiple Word sections in a logical section. If that is the case, write back and I will tell you how to handle it. Here is a hint: How to control the page numbering in a Word document