How to Add Slide Numbers in PowerPoint in 3 Simple Ways

Creating organized slides in Microsoft PowerPoint is a priority to ensure the presentation works well. A well-organized Microsoft PowerPoint presentation will enhance the clarity of the explanation and attract the audience during the presentation. One of the ways to make your slides well-ordered is by adding the slide numbers in PowerPoint. In this article, we will learn together how to add slide numbers in PowerPoint using various options and how to add slide numbers in PowerPoint with other similar productivity tools, such as Google Slides and Canva, along with the benefits and additional best practices of adding slide numbers in PowerPoint. 

Benefits of adding slide numbers in PowerPoint 

Adding the slide numbers in PowerPoint is not only a requirement for a formal presentation. This is also essential to help the presenter and the audience understand how far the presentation is running, and it helps to track a certain topic’s content. Here are some important things you should know about learning how to add slide numbers in Microsoft PowerPoint. 

1. Guidance for the audience

Slide numbers in a PowerPoint have a role as a navigator for the audience. This number will help the viewer to understand the progress and navigate where the specific parts are to be reviewed during the Q&A session or after the presentation. 

2. Benefiting the presenter

Not only for the audience, but the insertion of slide numbers will also help the presenter to keep in order, particularly in a long presentation. These slide numbers also function as a sign for the creator before presentation or during rehearsal to edit a specific part of the slide if there are any mistakes.  

3. Helping the collaboration

The insertion of slide numbers will help the creator of PowerPoint to be done as a team. By inserting slide numbers, one of the creators will understand where the specific slide needs to be changed or removed, and add more relevant topics to the previous slide, making it more organized. 

4. Making it easy to track the long-page slides

For long-page slides with complex materials, the insertion of slide numbers is crucial. This will help the audience and the presenter to track a certain page, particularly in training or class. Some of the students will ask to go back to the specific page to take a note for important information. 

5. Enhancing professionalism

Adding slide numbers in PowerPoint obviously gives the selling point to enhance professionalism in a corporation or an educational institution. The presentation slide in a corporation usually uses the slide numbers as a standard, which also makes the presentation well-organized. 

How to add slide numbers in PowerPoint using Header & Footer

After understanding the benefits of slide numbers in PowerPoint, we will provide the instructions on how to add slide numbers in PowerPoint. However, the way to add slide numbers in PowerPoint is quite simple, and you do not need to be an expert in PowerPoint in order to master inserting slide numbers. Here are the instructions on how to add slide numbers in Microsoft PowerPoint using the Header and Footer. 

• Step 1: Open Microsoft PowerPoint on your Windows or Mac and open the selected .pptx format file you want to edit, or open a new blank file. 
• Step 2: Click the Insert button on the Menu Bar. Then, choose the Header & Footer on the right side of the bar. 
• Step 3: Once the pop-up menu of Header & Footer is open, you can check the Slide number box as well as the ” Don’t show on the title slide checkbox. Then, click Apply to All. 
• Step 4: If you want to add slide numbers for all pages, just uncheck the Don’t show on the title slide. 
• Step 5: Please check the results of the page to verify the insertion of slide numbers on your presentation slide. 

How to add certain slide numbers in Microsoft PowerPoint

The Header and Footer option not only provides automatic slide numbers for all pages. You can use this feature to add a certain page to Microsoft PowerPoint. This feature is important to ensure that the presenter can change the slide number for the selected page instead of changing all of the numbers. Here are the instructions on how to add slide numbers in Microsoft PowerPoint only for the selected page. 

• Step 1: Open the Microsoft PowerPoint and choose a certain .pptx document you want to edit, or you can also create a new ppt document. 
• Step 2: Find and click the Insert button on the menu bar of Microsoft PowerPoint. Choose the Header & Footer on the right side of the page. 
• Step 3: After the Header & Footer menu shows, check the Slide number box. Then, click Apply, not Apply to All. 
• Step 4: Check the result on the PowerPoint page to verify if the result is desirable. 

How to add slide numbers in PowerPoint using the Slide Master feature

Other than the Header and Footer, there is another way to add slide numbers in PowerPoint, such as the Slide Master. This guide on how to add slide numbers in PowerPoint is indeed powerful because it will reduce the repetitive task and therefore, this method is quite effective. Here are the step-by-step guide on how to add slide numbers in PowerPoint using the Slide Master. 

• Step 1: Open Microsoft PowerPoint on your device and choose the .pptx file that you want to edit or open a new blank page. 
• Step 2: Find the View option and choose the Slide Master. 
• Step 3: Afterwards, there is a box on the bottom right corner of each slide. Then, you can insert the slide numbers.
• Step 4: You can also combine it with the Header & Footer and click the Slide number. Tap Close Master View if the slide numbers are already set. 
• Step 5: Using the Slide Master allows the slide numbers to be consistent for all slides. You can customize the slide numbers using the Slide Master by adding color and moving them to other parts of the slide page, such as on the bottom-right, top-right, or others. 

How to Add Slide Numbers in PowerPoint using Microsoft PowerPoint Online

For your information, how to add slide numbers in PowerPoint on the desktop and the online version is different. Microsoft PowerPoint online is not as full-fledged as the desktop or Microsoft 365 version because it is free for Outlook email users, and it is similar to its competitor, Google Slides. Microsoft PowerPoint online cannot be opened without internet access, and it will save directly to the OneDrive storage. Therefore, the feature on how to add slide numbers in PowerPoint online is limited and only available using the Footer option. Here is the step-by-step instruction on how to add slide numbers in PowerPoint using the online version. 

• Step 1: Open the Microsoft PowerPoint online by accessing https://powerpoint.cloud.microsoft/. Then, choose a certain file that you want to edit or open a new blank page. 
• Step 2: Similar to the desktop version, click Insert and choose the Footer on the menu bar. 
• Step 3: Then click the checkbox Slide number and tap Apply to All. 
• Step 4: Please verify the slide page numbers to ensure that the number is appropriate or desirable. 

Where is the best position to add slide numbers in Microsoft PowerPoint? 

Before utilizing the methods above, we should know what the best position for the presentation slide is, based on the audience characteristics. Please note that the position of the slide numbers must not distract or interrupt the main content of the presentation slide. It must be visible, but should be harmonized with the design of all slides in order to optimize the presentation. 

The default of the Microsoft PowerPoint slide numbers is located in the bottom-right corner of each slide. Most of the people choose to place the slide numbers in the bottom right corner of the PowerPoint slide rather than in other positions. It is because aligning with the reading flow for most of the people is from left to right and top to bottom. Therefore, people will look at the numbers after reading the content. Despite the advantage, the slide number located in the bottom right position sometimes can overlap with the footage. 

The other alternative of the bottom-right position for the presentation slide is bottom-center. This position is one of the most used positions for the PowerPoint slides as well, because its presence does not distract from the content above. Moreover, the top-right corner also becomes an alternative to put the slide numbers because this position does not disturb the presentation topic, but it is close to the page title or headlines, which makes the audience recognize the visibility of the numbers. 

Meanwhile, the least recommended slide number position in PowerPoint is top-left because it could distract the audience’s attention from the main content. This position makes the audience read the slide number first before reading the headline or title. Even though most of the audience might not pay attention to it, this position can intrude on the logo or title of the slide page. 

Conclusion

Adding slide numbers in PowerPoint could be beneficial for professionals. It helps enhance your presentation by giving a professional impression. It can also help the presenter and the audience to find certain subjects faster by looking at the slide numbers. Even though the content or material is the most important part of the presentation, the slide number is one of the parts of the complement of the PowerPoint document. Hence, the insertion of slide numbers cannot be neglected and should be included for the presenter’s consideration before doing the presentation. On the other hand, skills in PowerPoint and presentation are important these days because they can accelerate your credibility and are needed for work as well as for students. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about How to Add Slide Numbers in PowerPoint

1. What is the easiest method for adding slide numbers in PowerPoint? 

The easiest method to add slide numbers in Microsoft PowerPoint is to use the Header & Footer feature. This menu allows you to add slide numbers to all slide pages automatically without the need to add the numbers to the footer or header one by one. 

2. Can I add slide numbers only for certain pages in Microsoft PowerPoint? 

Yes, you can edit the page one by one by adding or deleting the selected slide number directly using the Header & Footer. This method is quite easy, and you can edit it by clicking the slide number and entering the number that you want. 

3. What is the advantage of using the Slide Master for adding slide numbers in Microsoft PowerPoint? 

The Slide Master is an advanced feature from Microsoft PowerPoint. It allows you to add and customize the slide numbers and ensure all of the numbers are similar to each slide. It prevents the peculiar form from one slide to another. 

4. What is the difference in how to add slide numbers using Microsoft PowerPoint on the desktop and the online version? 

The difference between adding numbers using Microsoft PowerPoint on the desktop and the online version is quite visible from their features. The desktop version has more full-fledged features than the online version. Thus, you can use Header & Footer and Slide Master; on the other hand, the online version only provides the Footer option for adding slide numbers. 

5. Where is the best position to add slide numbers in the Microsoft PowerPoint file? 

The recommended position for adding slide numbers in the PowerPoint file is on bottom-right corner of the page. This position will avoid distracting the audience from the title or headline of the PowerPoint file. The second option for slide number position in a Microsoft PowerPoint file is the top-right corner of the page. 

6. Can I change the position of the slide numbers in Microsoft PowerPoint? 

Yes, you can change the position of the slide numbers in PowerPoint. You can use the Slide Master to easily change the position of the slide numbers, whether you put the slide numbers on the top right or top left of the page. However, the default slide numbers in PowerPoint will be situated in the bottom-right corner ot the PowerPoint page.