Add Page Numbers to PDF

The tool draws numbers onto the pages you already have. Nothing is redrawn, so the text and links on your pages stay as they are.

1. Drag one PDF onto the box, or click the box to choose it. Password-protected files are rejected.
2. Choose the Position: Bottom center, Bottom right, Bottom left, Top center, Top right or Top left.
3. Choose the Format: 1, 2, 3, or Page 1, Page 2, or 1 of 10, or - 1 -.
4. Set Start on page and First number if the first pages should be skipped or the sequence should begin at another value. Both start at 1.
5. Adjust Font size (6 to 40, default 11) and Margin from the edge (points) (8 to 120, default 28), then press Add page numbers.
6. Check the note, for example "12 of 12 pages numbered", then download the file, which is named after your original with -numbered added.

The two number settings do different jobs. Start on page says which page of the file receives the first number, and pages before it get none. First number says what that first number is. Together they let you leave a cover unnumbered and still begin the count at 1.

Here is a worked example with a 12-page file. Set Start on page to 3, First number to 1, and Format to Page 1. Page 3 of the file shows "Page 1", and page 12 shows "Page 10". Pages 1 and 2 stay blank. Ten pages are numbered, so the note reads "10 of 12 pages numbered".

The 1 of 10 format uses the last number as its total. With the same settings, the numbered pages run from "1 of 10" to "10 of 10", not "of 12". If you instead start on page 1 with First number 1, the same file runs from "1 of 12" to "12 of 12". Setting First number to 11 continues the count after an earlier ten-page document.

The size is in points, where 72 points make one inch. The default margin of 28 points is a little under 0.4 inch from the edge, and the numbers are drawn in dark gray Helvetica.

Numbers follow page rotation, so they appear upright and in the chosen corner even on a page that is stored rotated. Still, a few limits are worth knowing:

• Only Latin digits and text from a standard font are used. Roman numerals and per-section numbering are not available.
• A number can land on top of something already in the margin, such as a footer, a logo or a scanned border. Raise the margin value or choose another corner and check the result.
• Numbers that are already in the file are not removed. If the pages are numbered, a second sequence will appear next to the first.
• The same settings apply to every numbered page. There are no different positions for odd and even pages.

Number the file after you have finished changing it. If you are joining files, use merge PDF first. If pages have to be removed or moved, use delete PDF pages and reorder PDF pages before numbering, or the sequence will not match the final layout. Pages scanned sideways can be fixed with rotate PDF.

For reports, the bottom center or bottom right corner is the usual choice. Bottom right suits documents printed on one side, while center works for most files that are read on screen. A top position is a good fit when the bottom of each page carries a footer.

The Page 1 format reads clearly in short documents. The 1 of 10 format helps the reader notice a missing page in a packet or a printout. The - 1 - format is a quiet, traditional style for letters and manuscripts.

Eleven points, the default, is about the size of ordinary body text. Raise it for a poster-like page or a presentation, and lower it only if the margin is crowded. After stamping, scroll through at least the first, a middle and the last page, and print one page if the file will be printed, to confirm that the number sits clear of any border. If you also need a label across the pages, such as DRAFT, the watermark PDF tool adds one. All processing happens in your browser and nothing is uploaded.