How to add page numbers to a PDF
Updated
Contents
To add page numbers to a PDF, open Add Page Numbers, pick your file, choose a number format and a position, and download the numbered copy. The numbers are drawn right in your browser, so the file stays on your device.
Two settings do most of the work on real documents. Start on page leaves a cover or title page unnumbered, and First number sets the number counting starts from — useful when a document continues from an earlier one.
Step by step
- 1Open the Add Page Numbers tool and pick your PDF — it stays on your device.
- 2Choose a number format preset, or write your own template with {n} for the page number and {total} for the last number.
- 3Pick one of the 9 positions for the number.
- 4Set Start on page to skip a cover, and First number to choose where counting starts.
- 5Check the preview beside the format — it shows the label the first numbered page will carry.
- 6Select Add page numbers, then download the numbered PDF.
Choosing a format
The presets cover the common styles, “Page 1 of N” among them, and the template field takes anything else: {n} becomes the page number and {total} the last number printed, so “{n} / {total}” and “Page {n}” both work.
Skipping the cover and choosing the first number
Pages before Start on page get no number at all. First number is the number printed on the first numbered page, and every page after it counts up from there.
{total} follows the same count: it is the last number that will be printed, so a skipped cover is not included in it. With a cover and four pages after it, Start on page 2 and First number 1 turn the default “Page {n} of {total}” into “Page 1 of 4” through “Page 4 of 4”.
Position, and pages that are rotated
The number can sit in any of 9 positions: each corner, the middle of each edge, or the center. On a page that carries a rotation, the number still lands in the spot you picked as the page is viewed, and it reads upright.
Before numbering, and beyond it
If the document is still in several files, combine them first with Merge PDF, so the numbering runs across the whole thing instead of restarting in each part.
If you need more than a number — a title, a date, a confidentiality line — PDF Header & Footer adds a header and footer with your own text, plus {n}, {total} and {date} fields.
Common questions
Can I leave the cover page unnumbered?
Yes. Set Start on page to 2 and the cover gets no number; leave First number at 1, and the page after the cover is numbered 1.
Can numbering start at a number other than 1?
Yes. First number sets it: set it to 5, and the first numbered page shows 5.
Does my PDF leave my device?
No. Add Page Numbers runs entirely in your browser, and the file stays on your device from start to finish.
How large can my PDF be?
Up to 100 MB per file.