Add Page Numbers to PDF

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How to add page numbers to a PDF

Printed reports, assignments, legal bundles and application packs are all much easier to work with when the pages are numbered. If the PDF was generated from Word you may be able to add numbers at the source, but for a PDF you already have — or one assembled from several files — you need to stamp them in afterwards.

Add your PDF. Drop it into the box above or browse to it.

Pick position and format. Choose where the number sits and whether it reads 1, Page 1, or 1 of 10.

Set where numbering starts. Skip a cover page, or start counting from a number other than 1.

Download. The numbers are written into the file, so they appear in every reader and in print.

Starting page versus starting number

These two settings do different jobs and it is worth being clear about which you need. Start numbering on page controls which physical page gets the first stamp — set it to 2 and your cover page stays clean. First number shown controls what that stamp says — set it to 47 and numbering runs 47, 48, 49, which is what you want when a document continues from a previous volume.

Common uses

Reports and dissertations

Number the body of a document while leaving the title page and contents unnumbered.

Merged document packs

After combining several PDFs, add one continuous sequence so the whole bundle can be referenced page by page.

Printed handouts

Numbered pages are far easier to reassemble if a stack gets dropped or shuffled.

Troubleshooting

The number sits on top of my content. Try a different position, or a smaller text size. The tool stamps the number over the page rather than moving your content, so it needs an empty margin to sit in.

My pages are rotated and I expected the numbers to be sideways. They won't be. Each page's rotation is read first, so numbers always land on the visually bottom edge and read the right way up.

Numbering starts at the wrong page. Check the start page setting rather than the first-number setting — they control different things.

Frequently asked questions

Where can the page number be placed?

Bottom centre, bottom left, bottom right, or the same three positions along the top. Bottom centre is the usual choice for reports and assignments.

Can I start numbering from a later page?

Yes. Set the first page to number, and everything before it is left blank — useful when a cover page or title page shouldn't be numbered.

Can the first number be something other than 1?

Yes. Set the starting number independently, which is what you need when a document continues from an earlier volume or chapter.

Will the numbers be upside down on rotated pages?

No. The tool reads each page's rotation and places the number on the visually bottom edge, the right way up.

Does adding page numbers reduce quality?

No. The existing page content is untouched; the number is drawn on top as new text.

Can I remove the numbers afterwards?

Not with this tool — the number becomes part of the page. Keep your original file if you may need an unnumbered version.