Microsoft Word: Numbering pages without the cover and adding backgrounds

To omit the cover page from the page count in Microsoft Word, enable the "Different first page" option in the header/footer settings. This hides the number on the cover while keeping it as page 1, or insert a section break, unlink it from the previous section and set the starting number to 1 so the second page displays as page 1.

Adding a background to a Word document involves opening the Design or Page Layout tab, selecting a page colour or inserting a picture as a watermark, and adjusting the picture layout to "Behind text". To ensure the background prints, enable the "Print background colors and images" option in the Word Options under the Display settings.