OmniDocWhat to do if Word page number displays PAGE: Field code repair method
If "PAGE" appears instead of a number in the Word footer or printed document, it usually means that the page number field has not been updated, the field code display is not turned off, or the page number is treated as ordinary text. This article explains how to determine the cause and gives steps to replace it with the real page number field.
Key points of this article
- The footer displays PAGE. Most of the time, the field code display is turned on, the field is not updated, or the page number is entered as ordinary text.
- Press Alt+F9 to switch the field code display, which can quickly distinguish whether it is a field or ordinary text.
- After deleting the ordinary text, use Ctrl+F9 to re-insert the PAGE field, and then press F9 to update.
- Select all and press F9 to update fields before exporting PDF or printing, and check the field code option in the print settings.
Many people make footers in Word and the preview is normal. However, when they print or export the PDF, the page number position changes to the English word PAGE. Some people also see text with curly braces like {PAGE}, or "Page PAGE of NUMPAGES". This article is written for those who encounter the page number displayed as PAGE when printing out of Word, especially readers who have to hand in papers, contracts, and tender documents, are tight on time, and do not want to manually edit page by page.
After reading, you will know why PAGE appears, how to determine whether it is a page number field or text that was entered by mistake, and which steps can be used to replace it with a real page number. In most cases you don't need to redo the document, just changing the footer and updating the fields once is enough.
The page number in Word is essentially a "field": it tells the software "Put the page number of the current page here" and displays the result of the calculation. The field code PAGE itself is just an instruction. When the instruction is displayed instead of the result, what you see is the letters PAGE.
The page number shows PAGE, how to fix it? One sentence conclusion
In most cases, numbers can be restored by first switching the field code display and updating all fields. Only when the footer contains ordinary text, it needs to be deleted and re-inserted.
| your situation | Recommended practices | reason |
|---|---|---|
| After pressing Alt+F9, the footer will appear {PAGE}, and then it will change back again. | Switch back to normal display, select all and press F9 to update the domain. | The domain is still there, but the display status or results are not refreshed. |
| The footer is the letters PAGE, and there is no change when pressing Alt+F9 | Delete these letters and reinsert the page number field | It is a normal text and will not automatically turn into a number |
| The page number in Word is normal, but the exported PDF is PAGE. | Select all update fields before exporting and preview before exporting. | Exporting using domain results that have not been updated |
| The screen is normal, but the paper printout appears PAGE | Check whether the print field code is checked in the print settings, cancel and try again. | Print option allows field codes to be printed directly |
| Words such as MERGEFIELD appear in the footer | Clear the remaining fields from the mail merge and insert page numbers | The domains in the old template were not deleted |
First determine what kind of problem it is
Before making changes, use the table below to determine which situation it belongs to to avoid wasted effort.
| symptoms | Common causes | How to confirm |
|---|---|---|
| The footer displays PAGE, and other text is normal. | The field code is displayed on, or the page number is in ordinary text | Press Alt+F9. If the footer changes to {PAGE}, it means it is a domain; if it does not change, it means it is text. |
| Footer displays {PAGE} with curly braces | Field code display is on | Press Alt+F9 again to switch back to normal display |
| Only the exported PDF is PAGE | The domain was not updated before export | See if the footer shows a number in Word. If it is a number, it only needs to be re-exported. |
| The paper draft is PAGE, and it is normal on the screen. | The field code was output when printing | Check to see if the print field code is checked in the Word print related settings |
| Words such as NUMPAGES and MERGEFIELD appear on the page. | Other domains have not been updated, or template remains | Click Alt+F9 to view the full text to find out the names of all domains |
| The directory also shows garbled codes or codes. | The domain code for the entire document is open. | Check whether the directory returns to normal after switching Alt+F9. |
# item-by-item troubleshooting and repair
It is recommended to do it in the following order, first to save trouble, and then to deal with situations that need to be reinserted.
- Press Alt+F9 to toggle the field code display. If the footer appears {PAGE}, it is a domain, press again to switch back, and then proceed to step 2. If there is no change, the page number is ordinary text, see the following "how to change ordinary text".
two. Press Ctrl+A to select the entire document, and then press F9 to update all fields. When you just need to update the footer, double-click the footer to edit it, or press F9 after selecting the footer.
- Check the footer in addition to the page number, there is no residual PAGE, NUMPAGES and other words, delete the extra words.
- Check the print related settings of Word and make sure that options such as "print field code" are not checked. After canceling, use print preview to see if the footer restores the number.
- When you need to export PDF, first complete the update in step 2, turn to a few pages in Word to make sure the page number is correct, and then export.
- Check the page numbers of the first, middle, and last pages, and check that the page numbers in the catalog are consistent with the text.
how to change ordinary characters
If there is no change in the Alt+F9 footer, the PAGE is ordinary text and needs to be re-inserted into the page number field.
-Select and delete the word PAGE in the footer. -place the cursor where you want to display the page number, press Ctrl+F9,Word to insert a pair of empty field curly braces. -move the cursor to the middle of the curly braces and type PAGE. Note that curly braces are generated with Ctrl+F9, and curly braces that are typed directly by hand will not take effect. -press F9 when the field is selected, and the page number will be displayed as a number. -insert NUMPAGES in the same way when you need to "total several pages".
Do not use Ctrl+Shift+F9, which converts the field to fixed text, after which the page number no longer changes with the number of pages.
PAGE only appears in print or PDF
In this case, the source file is usually fine, and the problem lies in the output. Select all update fields in Word, make sure the screen is displayed correctly, and then re-export PDF or print. If the exported PDF only needs to be changed, you can use the PDF editor of the OmniDoc desktop client to directly edit the paragraph text and change the PAGE to the corresponding number. This modification is static text, and the source document still needs to be modified before it can be completely solved by re-export.
# how to avoid the next occurrence
-try to insert the page number through the page number function of Word, or insert it directly into the PAGE field. Do not type the number by hand, otherwise the page number will be wrong after the page number changes. -when copying content from other documents, it is preferred to use text-only paste to avoid bringing in the old fields. -every time before exporting PDF or printing, always do "Select all, F9, Preview", this step only takes more than ten seconds. -when doing a mail merge, save as a new file after the merge is completed, and delete the merge field in the template, do not modify it directly on the original template. -keep the template file separately and do not test the trial domain in the template to prevent the new document from inheriting the residual code.
# frequently asked questions (FAQ)
1. I have pressed F9, footer or PAGE, why?
Mostly PAGE is just plain text, not a domain. Press Alt+F9 to take a look, and if there are no curly braces, delete and re-insert the page number field with Ctrl+F9.
2. If the page number is normal in Word, what should I do if I convert it to PDF or display PAGE?
Select all update fields before export, and preview them in Word to confirm. If there is still a problem, check to see if the field code is output in the print settings, and then re-export.
3. The page number of the footer does not respond by pressing F9. What is wrong with it?
It may be that the cursor does not really select the field, or the page number is in the text box or shape. You can press Alt+F9 to confirm that the domain does exist, and then press F9 after selecting all the footers as a whole.
4. Can the page number of the exported PDF be changed directly?
You can use the PDF editor to edit the paragraph text and change the PAGE to the correct number. This is only suitable for patching with a small number of pages, and the source document still needs to be modified and re-exported to avoid future mistakes.
# Summary
The Word page number shows PAGE, mostly because the field code is on, the field is not updated, or the page number is typed into ordinary text. Use Alt+F9 to judge the situation, and then select all the update fields; delete the text and re-insert the page number field if necessary. Checking before exporting PDF or printing can prevent this problem from happening again.
