Add Page Numbers
Stamp numbers onto every page — your position, format and starting point.
Runs on your device · one of 15 free tools
How to add page numbers to a PDF
- 1
Add your PDF
Drop the file in or click to browse. A live preview opens beside the settings so you can see the document you're numbering.
- 2
Choose position and format
Bottom centre is the convention for reports and essays; bottom right suits bound documents; top right works when footers are already busy. Formats run from a plain numeral to 'Page 4' or '4 of 12'.
- 3
Set where counting starts
Tick 'Skip the first page' when you have a cover, and set the starting number if this document continues from another — useful when a long report is split across files.
- 4
Add numbers and download
Numbers are drawn into the page content, so they print and survive forwarding. Your original file is unchanged.
Where page numbers belong
Bottom centre is the safest default: it reads as deliberate, it survives most binding, and it's what academic and corporate style guides assume. Bottom right is the traditional choice for documents that will be bound on the left, because the number stays visible when the page is flipped. Top right is worth choosing when your document already has a running footer and adding another element there would crowd it.
The one thing worth checking before you commit: if your PDF has a mix of portrait and landscape pages, look at the landscape ones in the preview. What sits comfortably in a portrait margin can land closer to the content on a rotated page.
Covers, offsets and documents that continue
Two options exist because real documents rarely start counting at page one. 'Skip the first page' leaves a cover unnumbered while the page after it becomes number one, which is what most report templates expect. Setting a start number handles the other case: a document that continues from a previous file, so its first page should read 47 rather than 1.
Numbers are drawn as real text rather than an image, so they stay crisp at any zoom, print sharply, and remain selectable and searchable in the finished document.
Frequently asked questions
Can I skip numbering the cover page?
Yes. Tick 'Skip the first page' and the cover stays clean while numbering begins on the page after it — which then becomes page 1, as most report templates expect.
Can I start numbering from a number other than 1?
Yes. Set the starting number to whatever you need. This is for documents that continue from another file, where the first page should read 47 rather than 1.
Will the numbers print, or are they just on screen?
They print. The numbers are drawn into the page content itself, not added as annotations, so they appear in print, survive forwarding, and show in every reader.
Can I remove the numbers later?
Not from this file — once drawn, they're part of the page like any other text. Keep your original, which this tool never modifies, if you might need an unnumbered version.
Is my document uploaded?
No. The numbering happens in your browser and the new file is built on your device. Load the page, disconnect from the internet, and it still works.