How to set odd and even page numbers in Word to one left and one right

Key points of this article

Odd-numbered pages are on the right and even-numbered pages are on the left. The core is that odd and even pages are different and symmetrical margins are added, and the alignment of the two sets of footers is set separately.
Only insert page numbers in the footer of odd-numbered pages, and even-numbered pages will be blank. This is a common reason why even-numbered pages do not display page numbers.
When the document is divided into multiple sections, the footer of each section may be linked to the previous section and needs to be checked section by section.
When printing only on one side, there is no need to set odd and even pages, just normal page numbers.
After the settings are completed, use print preview to check page by page to confirm the page number position and printing effect.

If you are printing a paper, contract, or report double-sided and binding, you usually want the pages to be numbered like a book: odd-numbered pages are numbered on the right, even-numbered pages are numbered on the left, and always toward the outside when opened. Many people just insert regular page numbers in Word, and end up with all the pages on the same side, which may be obscured when binding.

Others have set odd and even pages to differ, only to find that the page numbers for even pages are not displayed at all. Both of these problems have their roots in the way the footer is set up and are not difficult to fix.

This article is for those who need double-sided printing, binding or book-style layout. After reading, you can follow the steps to set Word page numbers to have odd numbers on the right and even numbers on the left, and know where to check when even page numbers are not displayed.

How to set the page number in Word to one left and one right? One sentence conclusion

The core idea is to use two sets of footers for odd-numbered pages and even-numbered pages: the footer for odd-numbered pages is to the right, and the footer for even-numbered pages is to the left. Coupled with symmetrical margins, the "inside" and "outside" of the page have clear meanings, and the page numbers can be arranged outwards.

your situation	Recommended practices	reason
Print and bind on both sides	Symmetrical margins + odd and even pages are different, page numbers are placed outside	The page numbers are on the outside and will not be obscured by the binding line after turning the page.
Only print on one side	Normal page numbers are enough, no odd and even pages are required	Each page faces the same direction, and there is no practical significance in distinguishing odd and even numbers.
The document is divided into multiple sections	Section by section, check if the footer links to the previous section	Footer settings between sections may affect each other
The cover does not want page numbers	Check if the home page is different and clear the home page footer separately.	The home page is controlled separately, without affecting the odd and even page numbers.
Page numbers should start counting from a certain page	Set starting page number in page number format	The odd or even number of the starting page determines which side it is on. Recheck after making changes.

Before you start: Confirm these points first

Before taking action, think about the following things clearly to avoid many detours.

Print method. The odd and even page setting only makes sense if a print shop or school requires duplex printing. If the film is only produced on one side, ordinary page numbers are enough, but forced setting is prone to errors.
binding position. The "inside" and "outside" corresponding to left-side binding and right-side binding are different. For example, when odd-numbered pages are on the right, the left side is the binding edge, and the page number should be placed on the outer right side.
Leave space for binding in the margins. Symmetrical margins will change the left and right margins to inside and outside. The binding edge needs to be wider than the other edges, otherwise the text will be pressed into the binding when the pages are turned.
Whether the document is divided into sections. If the document has different parts such as cover, table of contents, and body, they may belong to different sections and need to be set section by section.
Whether there is already a page number. Delete the old page number first and then reinsert it to avoid two page numbers overlapping.

Steps to set odd-numbered pages to the right and even-numbered pages to the left in Word

Open the document, go to page settings, find the margin option, change the multi-page layout to symmetrical margins, and reserve the binding line width according to binding needs.
Double-click the footer area at the bottom of the page to enter header and footer editing mode.
In the header and footer related options, check 'Different odd and even pages**. After checking, the editing area will display odd and even footers separately.
Insert page numbers into the footer of odd-numbered pages, select the outermost (right) style, and set the page numbers to right alignment. Some versions of the page number style list provide inner and outer options that can be selected directly.
Switch to the footer of the even-numbered page, insert the same page number, and set it to left-aligned so that it sits outside (left) of the even-numbered page.
Turn off header and footer editing, switch to page view or print preview, and check page by page to see if the page number position matches expectations.

If you don't have desktop Word installed, you can also use the UniDoc web editor (app.unidoc.top) to open .docx files, which supports Word-compatible editing. Whether the page numbers are exactly the same needs to be checked page by page after opening.

After completion, check each item one by one

After setting the page numbers, do not submit or print directly; check each item one by one for greater security.

Inspection items	How to see it	What should you do if there's a problem?
Do even-numbered pages have page numbers?	Turn to page 2 or page 4, and look at the lower left or left side	If the footer of even pages is empty, enter the footer of even pages and reinsert the page number
Odd-numbered pages are on the right, even-numbered pages are on the left	View page number positions page by page	If both sides are positioned the same, it means no odd or even pages are checked, or the footer alignment is not set separately
Multi-section document	View the footer at the beginning of each section	The footer display is the same as the previous section, but after unlinking in this section, it is set separately
Check if the page numbers are duplicated	Check if the two numbers overlap in the footer	Delete old page numbers, keep only one set, and reinsert it
Cover and table of contents	View the page numbers on the cover and table of contents pages	Cover pages are cleared separately from the homepage; When using Roman numerals in the table of contents, check that it does not mix up the main text number
Print results	Print one or two pages and try typing, or check in the print preview	Check the print settings to ensure you didn't select the wrong option to print only odd or even pages

🎯 Which method suits you?

Double-sided papers and reports. Set symmetrical page margins according to the steps in this article, with odd and even pages differing and page numbers facing outward, creating a look close to the book.
Duplex printing but no binding. If the odd or even pages differ, the binding margin can be left unreserved, but symmetrical margins can still be chosen for easier page alignment during reading.
Only read the electronic version or single-sided printing. Standard page numbers are sufficient; no need to set odd or even pages.
Long documents requiring multiple sections and various page number formats. Plan page numbers by section first, then uniformly set odd and even pages to avoid adjusting page by page later.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. Why does even page numbers still not display even pages even after setting them differently?

A common reason is that page numbers are only inserted at the footer of odd pages; even footers are empty. Go to the footer of the even-numbered page and reinsert the page number. Additionally, if the document is divided into sections, the section containing the even-numbered page may link to the previous section and be overwritten. You need to check the linking settings at the footer of that section.

2. If the page number is set to symmetrical margins, will the main text become misaligned?

Symmetrical margins redistribute the left and right margins to the inner and outer sides, causing changes in the position of the center of the page. After setting, please check whether the main text is still positioned appropriately on each page, especially the tables and images near the page edges.

3. What if you don't want page numbers for the cover and table of contents?

You can check 'Cover Page Different' to 'Cover Page Different', then clear only the homepage footer. If a table of contents requires a separate page number format, it should be set in a separate section to determine whether it matches the odd and even page numbers in the main text.

4. Is it okay to avoid symmetrical page margins and only set odd-even pages differently?

It can achieve the basic effect of even-numbered pages on the left and odd-numbered pages on the right, but the binding edge positions are not automatically reserved, and the concepts of outside and inside are not clear enough. If the document needs to be bound, it is recommended to use both together.

5. The page numbers work normally during editing, but the print location is incorrect. Why is that?

The edit view and print results may differ slightly, especially after margin adjustment. It is recommended to use the print preview for verification and print one or two pages first. For important documents, confirm page by page before printing.

📝 Summary

Word page numbers are odd on the right and even-numbered pages on the left. The key is to check the box for odd and even pages to be different, set separate footer alignment, and reserve binding space with symmetrical margins. After setting, check each even page for page numbers, then check the section breakdown and print quality to obtain a layout suitable for double-sided binding.

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