Slide Numbers: Make Slide #1 Start on the Third, Fourth, or Another Slide

Typically you can start your slide numbering with any number -- so yes, your first slide can be numbered fourth. But what if you want the opposite -- maybe you want your fourth slide to be numbered first! This question was asked on Microsoft Answers, and Chirag Dalal of OfficeOne had an awesome answer, excerpted here with his permission:

1. Place your actual first 3 slides at the end of the presentation and start your presentation from your 4th slide. PowerPoint would number your slides from 1 and that would be the correct number for your 4th slide.
   
   
2. Remove the slide numbers from the last 3 slides (which are your actual first 3 slides).
   
   
3. Create a Custom Show so that your last 3 slides are placed as the first 3 slides in the Custom Show and the remaining slides follow those 3 slides. To create a Custom Show, use the Slide Show | Custom Shows menu item (or the Slide Show tab of the Ribbon | Custom Shows).
   
   
4. Next, tell PowerPoint to display the Custom Show when you start the slide show. To do this, choose Slide Show | Set Up Show menu item (or the Slide Show tab of the Ribbon | Set Up Slide Show). Select your Custom Show in the Show Slides section, and click OK.

Labels: custom_shows, powerpoint, slide_numbers