I'm writing an essay, and the first page is a cover page. Obviously, there shouldn't be a number there. How do I get rid of it so that there's still numbers on the other pages?

One of two ways.

Make the cover page in its own file, separately from the file in which the rest of the paper is written and saved.

If you are using Word, go into View >> Header and Footer and go into the setup for page numbers. There should be a box to check for "different first page." Make sure it's checked. (The only problem with this, though, is that the title page is still counted as page 1, and your text will start being numbered as page 2 and onward.)

To remove the page number on the cover page of your essay while keeping the numbering on subsequent pages, you can follow these steps depending on the word processing software you are using:

Microsoft Word:
1. Double-click on the header or footer section of the cover page to open the Header & Footer Tools tab.
2. Select the "Different First Page" option. This will allow you to have separate headers/footers for the first page.
3. Go back to the cover page, and in the header or footer section, select the page number.
4. Press the "Delete" button on your keyboard to remove the page number from the cover page only, while keeping the numbering intact on other pages.

Google Docs:
1. Click on the Insert menu at the top, then click on "Header & Page Number" and select "Header" or "Footer" (whichever you prefer).
2. On the cover page, click on the inserted header or footer area, and press the "Backspace" key on your keyboard to remove the page number.
3. To ensure the page number appears on all other pages, simply leave the header or footer area as it is or customize it according to your needs.

These steps should help you remove the page number from the cover page while retaining numbers on subsequent pages. It's worth noting that the specific steps may vary slightly depending on the software version or operating system you are using.