What should you do to prevent the page number from appearing on the handout?

To prevent the page number from appearing on the handout in PowerPoint, unchecking the page number checkbox is the appropriate action. This specific setting allows you to control the display of page numbers on handouts. By unchecking the box, you ensure that the page numbers are not printed or shown in the handout layout, providing a clean document without that additional information.

While other options may seem viable, they either would not effectively achieve the goal or might alter other aspects of your presentation. For instance, deleting the page number field might be too drastic or could affect other linked elements in your presentation. Changing the header text does not directly address the presence of page numbers. Leaving it as default would keep the page numbers visible, contrary to the intention of removing them. Thus, unchecking the page number checkbox is the most straightforward and effective method to ensure that page numbers do not appear on your handouts.