PowerPoint slide numbers not showing up? Try this...

[@Mtuji1]

hi, is it possible to set page numbers on some slides and not others like in Ms word ?

[@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining]

Yes. You can control where they show up by using different child slide layouts (for the slides that you don't want the page numbers to show up). You can even create a duplicate copy of your child slide layout (one with the # and one without). For slides where you don't want the placeholder you can apply the layout without the page # on. Just make sure that if you've already applied them once, you will need to un-apply and then re-apply them to make it work (page numbers can be sticky like that). Hope that helps.

[@Mtuji1]

Thank you very much, that helps.

[@AlexanderHamilton10]

This was super prescriptive and comprehensive. Thank you so much!

[@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining]

Glad you found the video helpful! The fact that slide numbers are still so difficult is crazy... but what can you do about it.

[@kellycardinal9609]

Thank you!

[@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining]

You bet!

[@x3.1415]

Great insights. Its a shame that someone in the powerpoint development and test team hasn't taken a look at these use cases - certainly a usability issue and probably a bug (or several)

[@fatihormankiran431]

OMG THANK YOU SO MUCH!

[@bidibibip]

OMG bless you!!!!!Your first solution fixed my problem thank you!!!

[@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining]

Glad to hear that helped you out! Thanks for the comment.

[@chelseacalabrese6165]

That worked. Thanks!

[@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining]

Glad to hear that helped, good luck with your presentation.

[@williamhart8472]

Worked right away!! Control + Shift + D on Mac. Thank you!

[@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining]

Glad it helped!

[@abdulla2281]

very useful, thank you

[@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining]

Glad it was helpful!

[@MuddasirJahangir22]

Thank you very much. It was really helpful :)

[@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining]

Glad that helped you out, thanks for the comment.

[@RussellGranger]

Microsoft ought to be horsewhipped. This is ABSURD.

[@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining]

Fingers crossed they FINALLY fix it in Office 2019.

[@chanhoongleong]

thank you! exactly what i need, been trying to fix this for a long time!

[@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining]

You are welcome!

[@iliyalajevardi]

thanks a lot

[@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining]

Glad this was helpeful!

[@wilmaandrews3206]

Great tips. Thanks.

[@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining]

Thanks Wilma, glad you enjoyed the video!

[@verbeeck36]

Very very useful reference to have

[@ginnycarpenter3734]

SUPER helpful. Have 12 powerpoint decks format, and I couldn't get past this slide number issue! Thanks a bunch!!

[@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining]

Glad that help get you sorted! I hope they fix all of these little slide number bugs in office 2019 (but I'm not holding my breath) 😀. Cheers!

[@RicFlude]

THANK YOU! I would have taken ages to figure that out and probably just hacked it badly

[@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining]

Glad to hear that helped you out! We are all waiting for the PowerPoint team to update their archaic page numbering system (the Word team did a much better job with them).

[@alfonsoalvarez4234]

Wow, first minute of the video and my issue is solved! Thanks a lot!

[@robertdelmonte1506]

Thank you. I used the same trick for my note pages.

[@fragoncrack4889]

Very nice my dude. Thank you!

[@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining]

Glad you found the video helpful! If you ever need to breeze through the materials again, I wrote them up in a blog post here: nutsandboltsspeedtraining.com/powerpoint-tutorials/how-to-add-slide-numbers-in-powerpoint/

[@theodoreandoh8105]

good solutuion

[@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining]

Glad that worked for you

[@Chris-ul1nw]

THANK YOU!!!!!

[@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining]

Glad that helped out! I have a whole blog post dedicated to this issue too if you ever need a refresher. You can check it out here: nutsandboltsspeedtraining.com/powerpoint-tutorials/how-to-add-slide-numbers-in-powerpoint/

[@ashutosh171998]

Thanks, this fixed my issue.

[@melaniehorton4404]

Thank you, this solved my problem!

[@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining]

Glad that solved your problem, slide numbers can be a pain

[@DerUnbbekante]

You are my Hero of the day! Thank you very much.

[@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining]

You are welcome!

[@danhle1032]

this and your other video is better than anything out there...however in my ppt under the parent master >> master layout, the slide number option box is greyed out and under my child masters i can check the footer option box, but not uncheck it

[@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining]

Weird. Can you send me the file so I can take a look? If you send it to me at taylor (at) nutsandboltsspeedtraining.com I will take a look and help you get it sorted. Talk soon!

[@TinoBacela]

Thank you so much!!!!

[@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining]

Your welcome! It's always nice to have functioning slide numbers in your decks :). I also listed out all of these steps in the following blog post if you ever need them. nutsandboltsspeedtraining.com/powerpoint-tutorials/how-to-add-slide-numbers-in-powerpoint/

[@txffanyngo]

Super helpful! Thanks so much!

[@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining]

Glad that helped you sort them out, thanks for the comment. If you ever need to reference these steps again, they are all on my blog here: nutsandboltsspeedtraining.com/powerpoint-tutorials/how-to-add-slide-numbers-in-powerpoint/

[@Mr.Hopper1]

thanks, this was super helpful!

[@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining]

Glad you found the video helpful, thanks for the comment!

[@angmingzhen]

THANK YOU! :D

[@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining]

You're welcome!

[@nofear1604]

The font size of my page numbers is different on some slides? How do I fix it ? And thanks for the awesome video

[@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining]

I would first remove all page numbers (Alt + Shift + D to open the dialog box), click ok to close out of the dialog box, then reopen it and apply them all. That should remove them all (with the different formatting) and then re-insert them based on your slide master.

[@emilioortega9487]

saved my life

[@jensennewman4640]

Definitely works

[@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining]

That's one of those sneaky page numbers issues that can really throw you for a loop if you don't know any better (which now you do). I wrote up all the PowerPoint slide number issues in the following blog post too if you ever need a quick refresher: nutsandboltsspeedtraining.com/powerpoint-tutorials/how-to-add-slide-numbers-in-powerpoint/

[@topangasunrise]

Did all that... still no numbers on my slides. How frustrating!!! Found the answer on your blog. It was due to the tick saying not to number the title slide. Title slide may not be the one you are using for your first slide. It's the child master directly below the parent master. Moved the actual title slide master to that position and it is fixed now. This should not be so difficult Microsoft, fix it please!

[@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining]

Glad you figured that out! Yes... the title slide is whatever is directly beneath your parent slide on your Slide Master... whether it's a title slide or not. Hence, if you tick the "do not show on title slide" and have the wrong slide there, it will mess everything up. I totally agree this should be a million times easier. Glad you got it all sorted out.

[@MJ-bk7xw]

Thanks. Life saver.

[@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining]

Glad it helped!

[@sshep62]

This was great, thank you very much I spent 1/2 getting really pissed trying to figure this out. Why doesn't Microsoft fix the issue, they don't seem to care anymore.

[@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining]

Totally agree! My only guess is there is something at a deep programming level that won't allow them to fix this (without re-hauling everything) as this has been an issue for years. Glad the video helped you out though.

[@mikhailskalyga9386]

Hey! Is it possible to have the same page number on several slides which contain similar info?

[@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining]

Great question. Not with the default PowerPoint numbering system, you will need to use a macro or just manually number the pages. To be honest, the page numbering system in PowerPoint sucks. I hope PowerPoint updates it soon (but I'm not holding my breath)

[@rachelrobin5900]

Amazing, thank you

[@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining]

Glad that helped you out! If you ever need a refresher, I listed out all of these steps (and more) in the following blog post. nutsandboltsspeedtraining.com/powerpoint-tutorials/how-to-add-slide-numbers-in-powerpoint/

[@Tomtriandoch]

Where have you been all my life?

[@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining]

Glad you found the video helpful, thanks for the comment! I also wrote these steps up in the following blog post if you ever need a refresher: nutsandboltsspeedtraining.com/powerpoint-tutorials/how-to-add-slide-numbers-in-powerpoint/

[@Bigrog1988]

This worked for me - you're a legend. Always wondered how to fix this.

[@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining]

Glad that helped you out! Just curious, which one of the fixes solved it for you? Cheers!

[@Bigrog1988]

@@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining Shift + Normal > Tick Footers. Thanks again!!

[@janestark5130]

Hi - can you please help? I've worked hours on the problem. In the slide number box - appears (#) but there's no numbers. every slide just displays the number sign #. I've watched all the videos and can't seem to change it.

[@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining]

Sorry to hear that you are having trouble with this. It sounds like someone has hard coded the "#" into your slide numbers input box on your slide master, instead of using the default slide numbers that come with PowerPoint. Try navigating to your slide master (View tab, Slide Master), delete the slide number from your Parent Slide, and then re-apply it (thus resetting your slide numbers), it should work. I have another broken slide number video you can check our here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/npeygGabea-gpqM

[@mylonad]

You saved me!!!!!

[@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining]

Glad that helped get you sorted, thanks for the comment!

[@MultiRebond]

this is amazing! I have one question about what you said at @1:35 you said that "it's best to delete these duplicate slide layouts". do you mean it's best to have as less of these layouts as possible? why is that?

[@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining]

Glad you enjoyed the video and thanks for the comment. The reason I recommend scrubbing out those duplicate layouts is so that someone doesn't actually use them and tangle up your deck with extra and unnecessary layouts.. I've seen decks out there that are all using the same slide layout, except that all the layouts are duplicates of the original. Then when something breaks, it's difficulty to figure out what isn't working. It's kind of like using a copy of a copy instead of working the original. Hope that makes sense..

[@jackwolflike6937]

Hi, I am unable to check the footer box, it always unchecks.

[@carmelitasabugo3323]

After you've done all this, The slides were showing correctly. Going back to the PP a different day, the slides are no longer showing the numbers but are showing #. Do you know why this would happen? and how to prevent?

[@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining]

I'm not sure what the issue with that is. Usually, if they show properly at one time, closing and opening your presentation shouldn't change anything. I would take a look at them on your slide master and see if you can spot anything that looks fishy.

[@JodiNewell]

Great video Taylor! See you at the Presentation Summit happy hour in September!

[@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining]

Thanks Jodi! Yes, the summit is just around the corner. See you soon.

[@ShunYanNg]

i dun found the solution here for my ppt. But at the slide master and the first slide, there is a master layout selection available in the ribbon. Inside the master layout dialog, there is footer and slide number check box, later steps are the same as this video, Thx.

[@Clytax]

It only doesn't work when it is a downloaded PowerPoint Template, but when I create a new project it works. But on the template it just unclicks footer everytime I click it or resets the slidenumber everytime I submit :c

[@j.j.l.]

My powerpoint shows the the letter "o" instead of the number "0." Even if I copy and paste it from a Word doc. Any suggestions?

[@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining]

Interesting.... are you by chance using a specific font style where the 0 looks like an o? That would be my first guess as it sounds like all the other slide numbers are showing up properly. Otherwise my guess is someone hardcoded in an o instead of a 0...but if that was the case it should have killed all of your other slide numbers. If that is not the issue, can you send me an example of what you are looking at? taylor (at) nutsandboltsspeedtraining.com

[@ahuinfotainmentchannel8184]

You saved me bro!!

[@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining]

Glad that helped you out, thanks for the comment. If you ever want to see the step-by-step instructions for doing this (without having to watch the video again), I wrote them up in the following blog post. nutsandboltsspeedtraining.com/powerpoint-tutorials/how-to-add-slide-numbers-in-powerpoint/

[@geoffbennett8971]

Hi. Can I ask, why is your slide number an editable object on your slides? It should be part of the Master and not be clickable on the slides, right? we have this issue also and it's driving me crazy. Our graphics people can't seem to fix it, so we end up with people deleting or moving slide numbers as they edit slides.

[@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining]

Slide numbers are set on the slide master, but they will always appear as editable objects in the Normal View (one of the pains with slide numbers). What you can do is (1) when you are working in the presentation, just remove them all and then (2) before you print your document you can re-apply them all. It's not uncommon for slide numbers to get nudged around, so it's always a good idea to reset your slide layout (assuming you have a functional PowerPoint template). Hope that helps you out.

[@ospino1112]

When I click in the footers checkbox it unchecks itself right away

[@reddevils3982]

WHERE THE IS THE INSERT TAB I CANT FIND IT ON MY MAC

[@shinn4401]

whyy I can't even click the footer button.. it will untick by itself

[@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining]

Footers can be a pain like that. Try first unapplying all your footers, close the dialog box and then re-apply them to see if that fixes the issue for you.

[@shinn4401]

@@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining yep it works, thanks!

[@makemoneynow8690]

I tried it over and over and it's still not showing up

[@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining]

Sorry to hear they still are not showing up. You might have an advanced case of a slide number problem. Do you by chance have multiple Parent Slides on your slide master (i.e. two different Parent slides). Usually, once you (1) re-establish them on your Parent Slide (2) Double-check they are on the correct childe slides and then (3) unapply and reapply them in the normal view they pop up.

[@patriciamadison4217]

MY PPT still won't add page numbers!! WHY ???

[@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining]

Can you send me your deck (or a few slides from it)? I bet I can figure out why. Shoot me an email at taylor (at) nutsandboltsspeedtraining.com

[@guccibliss6749]

what if your footer button isn’t working

[@leescharich6876]

I just wanna know why microsoft makes basic shit like adding page numbers this complicated. why

[@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining]

You are correct. The page number system in PowerPoint sucks. This is a common compliant and I hope the PowerPoint team fixes it soon (but I'm not holding my breath).

[@frognerplass]

Alt Shift D ? Are you using a freakin PC ?

[@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining]

Yep... Alt + Shift + D is one of the best PowerPoint shortcuts on a PC. Check it out here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gqTTnJhjqZxlqck

[@OkSear]

1:52 I cant even select the footer checkbox in slidemaster, it just unchecks itself automatically. Nothing will ever work and this is a waste of time. MS Powerpoint is garbage.

[@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining]

If you are looking for a good PowerPoint Template for 2019, Camille reviewed 9 of the best ones here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/kGaVhH-toryml9k

[@Joeo-qk2du]

This was useless. You talk too fast and assume we know what your speeding thru. Also your screen is not very readable

[@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining]

Sorry you felt that way.

[@Gigi-ej6he]

Thank you!

[@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining]

You're welcome!