Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here: Leading Zeros in Page Numbers.

Leading Zeros in Page Numbers

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated May 30, 2020)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


Jackie asked if there was a way to include leading zeroes in the page numbers placed in a footer. She needs her page numbers to always be five characters long, with leading zeroes, as necessary, to fill out the length. Thus, page numbers would be 00001, 00002, etc.

Excel doesn't provide very good formatting for its page numbers. One solution (perhaps the most viable) is to print each page in your worksheet, one at a time, changing the page number as you go. This macro takes that approach:

Sub FormattedPageNums()
    Dim iPages As Integer
    Dim J As Integer
    Dim sFormat As String

    sFormat = "00000"
    ' Get count of pages in active sheet
    iPages = ExecuteExcel4Macro("Get.Document(50)")

    With ActiveSheet
        For J = 1 To iPages
            .PageSetup.CenterFooter = Format(J, sFormat)
            .PrintOut From:=J, To:=J
        Next J
    End With
End Sub

The macro discovers how many pages are in the entire printout, and then steps through each page of that printout. Prior to printing each page, individually, the .CenterFooter property is set equal to a formatted string that represents the page number with leading zeros.

You can modify the macro, as desired, to place different information in the footer. You could also change the area of the footer that is changed by using .LeftFooter or .RightFooter instead of .CenterFooter.

Note:

If you would like to know how to use the macros described on this page (or on any other page on the ExcelTips sites), I've prepared a special page that includes helpful information. Click here to open that special page in a new browser tab.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (3055) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Excel (Excel 2007 and later) here: Leading Zeros in Page Numbers.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Editing AutoCorrect ACL Files

Information used with the AutoCorrect feature is stored in what is known as an ACL file. You normally edit this file by ...

Discover More

Printing without Footnotes

Want to print your document without all those footnotes included? It's not quite as easy as you might think, as this tip ...

Discover More

Omitting Page Numbers on Some Pages

Excel doesn't allow for as robust of headers and footers as Word does. Even so, there are some things you can do to ...

Discover More

Comprehensive VBA Guide Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is the language used for writing macros in all Office programs. This complete guide shows both professionals and novices how to master VBA in order to customize the entire Office suite for their needs. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2010 today!

More ExcelTips (menu)

Copying Headers and Footers

Need to copy headers and footers from one worksheet to another? How about from one workbook to another? Here are some ...

Discover More

Putting a Different Date in a Header

Today's date is easy to add to a header, but what if you want to add a date that is adjusted in some manner? Adding ...

Discover More

Full Path Names in Headers or Footers

Using a macro to add the full path name into a header or footer in an Excel worksheet.

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is one more than 6?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


This Site

Got a version of Excel that uses the menu interface (Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, or Excel 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.