How to Number PowerPoint Slides Excluding the Title Slide

You need slide numbers on every slide except the title slide in your PowerPoint presentation. By default, the slide number feature adds a number to every slide including the first one. This creates an unwanted number on your title slide. This article explains how to hide the slide number on the title slide only while keeping numbers on all other slides.

How PowerPoint Slide Numbers Work With the Title Slide

PowerPoint treats the title slide as a separate layout in the slide master. When you enable slide numbers through the Insert tab, PowerPoint places a number placeholder on every slide layout including the title slide layout. The Header and Footer dialog includes a check box labeled Don’t show on title slide. This check box controls whether the number appears on any slide that uses the title slide layout. Selecting this check box removes the number from the title slide without affecting other slides. No prerequisites are needed beyond having a presentation open. You must have at least two slides to see the effect clearly.

Steps to Hide the Slide Number on the Title Slide

Follow these steps to add slide numbers to all slides and exclude the title slide.

1. Open the Header and Footer dialog
   Go to the Insert tab on the ribbon. In the Text group, click Header & Footer. The Header and Footer dialog opens.
2. Enable slide numbers
   In the Slide tab of the dialog, check the box labeled Slide number. The preview area on the right shows a number placeholder on the slide.
3. Check the Don’t show on title slide option
   Below the Slide number check box, locate the check box labeled Don’t show on title slide. Check this box.
4. Apply the setting
   Click the Apply to All button. The slide number now appears on every slide except the title slide.

If You Want to Start Numbering From a Different Number

By default, PowerPoint numbers slides starting at 1. If you want the first numbered slide after the title to start at 1, you need to change the starting slide number. Go to Design > Slide Size > Custom Slide Size. In the Slide Size dialog, set Number slides from to 0. Click OK. Now the title slide is slide 0 and the next slide is slide 1. This method works with the Don’t show on title slide option checked.

Common Issues and Mistakes When Excluding the Title Slide

The Don’t show on title slide option is grayed out

This happens when you are editing the slide master or a layout directly. The Don’t show on title slide option is only available in the Header and Footer dialog accessed from the Insert tab. Close the slide master view and use the Insert tab method.

Slide numbers still appear on the title slide after checking the option

This occurs if the title slide uses a custom layout that is not marked as the title slide layout. Go to View > Slide Master. Select the layout used for your title slide. In the Edit Master group, check that Title Slide Layout is selected in the Layouts dropdown. If not, select it. Close the master view and reapply the Header and Footer settings.

Slide numbers disappear from all slides after editing the slide master

Deleting the number placeholder on the slide master removes numbers from all slides. To fix this, go to View > Slide Master. Select the topmost master slide. Click Insert Placeholder > Slide Number. Position the placeholder. Close the master view and reapply Header and Footer settings.

Slide Numbering Comparison: Default vs Excluding Title Slide

Item	Default numbering	Excluding title slide
Title slide number	Shows number 1	No number visible
Second slide number	Shows number 2	Shows number 2
Setup effort	One click in Header and Footer	Two clicks: enable slide number and check Don’t show on title slide
Works with custom layouts	Yes	Only if layout is marked as title slide layout

You can now add slide numbers to your presentation without displaying a number on the title slide. Use the Header and Footer dialog with the Don’t show on title slide option for a quick solution. For presentations that need the first numbered slide to start at 1, set the starting number to 0 in the Slide Size dialog. If you need to hide numbers on multiple specific slides, consider using the Slide Master to remove the number placeholder from those individual layouts.