How do I add slide numbers in PowerPoint?
Per Microsoft's official support page, Add slide numbers, page numbers, or the date and time, the steps are:
- Open the Insert tab on the ribbon.
- Select Slide Number (in newer versions this may sit inside the Header & Footer or Text group).
- In the dialog box, tick the Slide number checkbox.
- Select Apply to All.
PowerPoint then places a number in the bottom corner of every slide, in the placeholder position defined by the slide layout, and keeps it updated automatically as slides are added, removed, or reordered.
Why is my title slide missing a number, and how do I fix it?
This is expected behaviour, not a bug. Microsoft's documentation confirms that the same dialog includes a Don't show on title slide checkbox, which is ticked by default — so the first slide in most decks stays number-free even after you apply numbering to everything else. To include the title slide, open Insert > Slide Number again, untick Don't show on title slide, and select Apply to All once more.
One gotcha worth knowing: PowerPoint identifies the "title slide" by layout, not by position. It only suppresses numbers on slides using a layout actually named Title Slide. If you've applied that same layout to other slides further into the deck — a section-divider slide, for instance — those will lose their numbers too, which can look like the setting is misbehaving when it's really matching more slides than intended. Checking each slide's layout (right-click the slide thumbnail > Layout) resolves it.
People also ask
Why doesn't my title slide show a slide number?
PowerPoint excludes it by default. Untick Don't show on title slide in the Insert > Slide Number dialog, then Apply to All.
Why does "Don't show on title slide" sometimes not work?
It hides numbers on any slide using the layout named Title Slide, not just the first slide. If other slides share that layout, they're hidden too.
Do I need to add the slide number to every slide manually?
No. Tick Slide number once and select Apply to All — PowerPoint numbers every slide and keeps it updated as the deck changes.