How Do I Make Page Numbers Appear as Text in MS Word?

A reader recently asked me how make page numbers appear in the footer of her document as text, rather than as numerals.

It took some research, but I found an answer. So, if you ever need to have your page numbers appear as text, follow the steps below.

1. View | Headers and Footers.
    
2. Once you are in either the Header or Footer:
    
3. Press CTRL | F9 to insert field braces {} (don't type the braces yourself).
    
4. Type page \*cardtext between the field braces.
    
5. Press F9 to hide the field code and to update the field.

The word "card" in cardtext is an abbreviation of cardinal. Cardinal numbers are the ones we use for counting (i.e. 1, 2, 3), while ordinal numbers indicate the order in a sequence (i.e. 1st, 2nd, 3rd). If you used \*ordtext as a field switch, you'd get first, second, third, etc.

If you thought this tip was especially helpful, you can find more just like it in my new eBook, Carol's Corner Office Tip & Tricks 2006! Be sure to download it today!

(c) Carol Bratt, all rights reserved. Used with permission. Duplication is forbidden without express consent of author. Visit Carol's web site to learn more tips like this one!