How to Add Line Numbers in Word

If you have trouble referencing specific locations in a document, then adding line numbers can be helpful. Use these steps to add line numbers in Word.

1. Open your document.
2. Select the Layout tab.
3. Click the Line Numbers button.
4. Choose the type of line numbers you want.

Our article continues below with additional information and pictures for each of these steps.

Have you ever been working on a document with a group of people and had trouble referencing a particular section?

While using things like comments can be helpful if everyone is looking at the document on their computer screen, you might want something more helpful for an in-person session.

Microsoft Word gives you the ability to add line numbers to the left side of the document. This means that you will see a number next to each line of the document, making it much easier to find a specific word or sentence in the document.

Our guide below will show you how to add line numbers in Microsoft Word.

How to Insert Line Numbers in Microsoft Word for Office 365

The steps in this article were performed in the Microsoft Word for Office 365 version of the application.

Step 1: Open your document in Microsoft Word.

Step 2: Choose the Layout tab at the top of the window.

Step 3: Click the Line Numbers button in the Page Setup section of the ribbon.

Step 4: Select the style of line numbers to use in the document.

Note that there is a Line Numbering Options item at the bottom of this list. If you click that item you will open a new menu where you can click the Line Numbers button again to set additional options for your line numbering.

Additional reading

• How to flip a picture in Word
• How to hide comments in Word
• How to show the ruler in Word
• How to add a Word background image
• How to draw a line through text in Word