How do I set up continuous paging in Word across different sections?

Figured it out!

The key here is that each section of a document has its own page number configuration settings. Therefore, you have to set the page format within each section of the document.

If you have a document, do the following for each section:

• In the section, click into the header or footer of the section.
• In the Header & Footer Design Tools menu, select Page Number --> Format Page Numbers...
• In the Page Numbering section, select "Continue from Previous Section".

Once you adjust this setting for each section, your page numbers will again be continuous as you'd expect them to be.

Note: this answer applies to office 2013 (and likely 2010/2007), but your mileage may vary.

Edit by G. Derrick Hodge: Note there is one limitation to be aware of. This solution does not work in certain cases if there are multiple sections on one page. If a page number looks to the previous section for its page numbering cue, but the previous section is in the middle of the same page, then there will be no page number on the bottom.

To expand on SeanKilleen's answer, you can use Ctrl+A to select all content in the document, then navigate to the "Insert" tab, "Header & Footer" panel, "Page Number", "Format Page Numbers…", "Continue from previous section". This way you do not need to navigate to each section. I just did this in a doc with 127 pages - lots of formatting and 28 sections – all updated in one pass.

This answer is not for the initial user but for any subsequent users who wish to figure this out. It builds on the first response.

In addition to what is said in the first response:

Step 1: Click on the 'crotchet button' to see the formatting tabs, returns and breaks Scroll down to find the beginning of each section

Step 2: Select the page number at the beginning of each section Look at the header-footer toolbar and check to see that the options of 'different first page and different odd & even numbers' are not checked - if checked this will confuse the numbering of the computer

Step 3: Highlight/select and right click on the number and go to format number - check to see that in the first section - the option for start at is specified as you wish and in subsequent sections to see that the option 'continue from previous section' is selected

Step 4: Close header and footer and select/highlight the pages from the first section (excluding the cover page) to the last page that you wish to have a page number Click on insert page numbers and select the format you wish

This should give you continuous numbering

If you wish to have different numbering for different sections (e.g. romans in the first parts and Arabic numerals in sections that follow) - go to the particular section break that you wish to be your 'watershed break'. In step 3 above make sure that 'start from' is selected instead of 'continue from previous section'. In step 4 above, select only the first section and insert numbers in the desired format. Then select the next section and insert the 2nd format that you desire

Finally, automatically update you table of contents and there you have it

In addition to SeanKilleen's answer, and to also fix the issue mentioned in the edit by G. Derrick Hodge:

The following macro sets the page numbering of all sections in the document to "Continue from Previous Section". This also fixes the issue of an "unselectable" section in pages that contain two or more section breaks (e.g., when using "Continuous" section breaks).

For Each s In ActiveDocument.Sections 
  With s.Headers(wdHeaderFooterPrimary).PageNumbers 
    .RestartNumberingAtSection = False 
    .StartingNumber = 0 
  End With 
Next s