Add page numbers to PDF
Add page numbers to a PDF for free in your browser, with no upload. Choose one of six positions and a format such as 3, Page 3 or 3 of 12, and start the numbering on whichever page you want.
Add page numbers to a PDF. Choose where they sit, what they say and which page counts as one. Nothing is uploaded.
In detail
Page numbers adds numbering to a PDF in one of six positions, three across the foot of the page and three across the head, with a format you choose: a bare number, Page 3, 3 of 12, or a template of your own with tokens for the number and the total.
The number printed and the page it first lands on are separate settings, so a document with a title page and two front-matter sheets can start its numbering in the right place. Each number is drawn as a small text object in a standard font on top of the page, so everything already there is untouched.
Add page numbers to PDF at a glance
- Input
- One PDF
- Output
- The same PDF with page numbers drawn on
- What it does
- Six positions at the head or foot of the page
- Formats: 3, Page 3, 3 of 12 or a custom template
- A starting number of your choice
- Skip the first pages
- Font, size, color and margin control
- Who it is for
- Students, office and legal staff, and anyone assembling a report or a filing.
- Limits
- Standard PDF fonts only.
- Numbers can overlap content already in the margin, so check the preview.
- Not suitable for Bates numbering.
- Privacy
- Runs entirely in your browser: the PDF is never uploaded, and nothing is kept after you close the tab.
How to add page numbers to a PDF
- Open the PDF Drop the file onto the page. The preview shows where numbers will land.
- Pick a position Three positions across the foot of the page and three across the head, with an adjustable margin.
- Choose the format A plain number, Page 1, 1 of 12, or your own template using a token for the number and one for the count.
- Set where numbering starts Choose which page gets the first number and what that number is. They are separate, because a title page usually gets neither.
- Save The numbers are drawn onto the pages and the document is handed back as a download.
Add page numbers to PDF: common questions
Can I start numbering after the title page?
Yes, and the two halves of that are set separately: which page carries the first number, and what number it shows. So a document can skip two front-matter sheets and still have its third page read as one.
Will the numbers cover existing content?
They can, if the page already has something in the margin where you put them. The preview renders the real page with the number on it, so you can see the collision before saving and move the position or the margin.
Does adding numbers re-encode the PDF?
No. Each number is drawn as a small text object on top of the existing page using an embedded standard font. Everything already on the page is untouched.