How to add page numbers to a PDF
Open Page numbers, choose where the numbers go and how they look, and press Add the numbers.
Page numbersFree. Nothing is uploaded.
How to do it
- Open Page numbers and add the PDF.
- Choose where: top or bottom, left, centre or right.
- Choose a style: 1, 1 of 12, Page 1 or Page 1 of 12.
- Tick Leave the first page unnumbered if it is a cover.
- Press Add the numbers and save the file.
Starting from another number
First number sets where counting starts. If this document follows another of 20 pages, start at 21. To number several files as one, join them with Merge first.
Bates numbering for legal files
Choose Bates in Style for numbers like ACME-000001. Type what goes before the number and how many digits it has. Bates runs one sequence through every page of every file you add, in the order you added them, which is what court bundles and discovery sets need.
Printed numbers and reader page numbers
Page numbers are printed on the page. A PDF reader also has its own page box, which counts from the cover. To make that box say i, ii, iii for the front pages and 1 from the first chapter, use Page labels. For a running line of text, such as a title or a date, use Header and footer.
A worked example
A 40-page project report has a cover, and the numbering should start at 1 on the page after it, at the bottom centre, as Page 1 of 39. Open Page numbers, add the report, choose Bottom, centre and the style Page 1 of 12, leave First number at 1, tick Leave the first page unnumbered, and press Add the numbers. The cover stays clean, and the last page reads Page 39 of 39.
Which style to use
A plain 1 is quiet and suits books and reports. 1 of 12 and Page 1 of 12 tell a reader at once when a page is missing, which matters for agreements, applications and anything printed and handed in loose. Page 1 reads clearly to people who do not handle many documents. Bates is for legal bundles, where one number must identify one page across many files.
Whatever the style, the numbers are small and plain, in dark grey, a short way in from the edge. If your document already has a printed footer, put the numbers at the top instead, or in the opposite corner, so the two do not overlap or crowd each other.
Common mistakes
Numbering each file and then merging them gives several page 1s: merge first, then number the merged file. Numbering a scan whose pages have a dark border can make the numbers hard to see, so try another corner. And the numbers are printed onto the page for good, so number the final version only, after every page has been added or taken out.
Questions people ask
Can I number several PDFs at once?
Yes. Add them all; each is numbered on its own, except with Bates, which numbers them as one sequence.
Will the numbers cover my text?
They sit near the edge of the page. If a page has text right at the edge, choose another position, such as the top instead of the bottom.
Is my PDF uploaded?
No. The numbers are added in your browser.
Can I remove page numbers later?
Not with this tool; they become part of the page. Keep your original, which is never changed, and number again from it.
Does it number a locked PDF?
Yes. Type its password when asked; the numbered copy keeps the same password.
Can I put the numbers at the top?
Yes. Choose Top with left, centre or right under Where.
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