How do I begin page numbers (page 8) on first page in Writer?

I have 4 pages, and need to put the page number in order 8-9-10-11. How to do that? I have no clue with some feature in Writer.

This is ugly as even numbered pages are generally supposed to display on the left (i.e., second page) rather than the right (i.e., first page). Still, if the first page must be numbered 8 you can force it by using an adjusted page number field:

  1. Open a new (blank) document.
  2. Ensure the Styles and Formatting panel is open (F11).
  3. Go to the Page styles tab (ensure All styles are displayed).
  4. Right-click on the Default Style entry > Modify…: a. Page tab > Layout settings section > ensure Page layout is either “Right and left” or “Mirrored” and Format is “1, 2, 3, …”; b. Header tab > check Header on; c. Footer tab > check Footer on.
  5. Click OK.
  6. Place the cursor in either the header / footer area as required.
  7. Insert > Fields > Other… > Document tab: a. Type of “Page”; b. Select “Page numbers”; c. Format either “As Page Style” (which by default should be 1,2,3) or select “Arabic (1 2 3)”; d. Offset of “+7”.
  8. Click Insert > click Close. At this point if you have Field Shading (CTRL+F8) turned on only a grey field placeholder, without a number, displays.
  9. Place the cursor in text block area.
  10. Insert > Manual Break…: a. Type of “Page break”; b. Style of “Default Style” (or your preferred style if it has basic page numbering); c. Check Change page number and enter “2”.
  11. Click OK.

Document should display page number 8 on first page and 9 on the next.