Add Page Numbers
Add page numbers to a PDF with a choice of position, font, size, starting number and formats like 'Page 3 of 12'. Nothing leaves your device.
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Use 1 to leave a cover page unnumbered.
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Don't take our word for it. Turn off your Wi‑Fi, then use this tool. It will work exactly the same, which is only possible because your file never goes anywhere.
How to add page numbers to a PDF that match the document
Page numbers are added as text drawn onto each page. They become part of the document, so they print and they survive being sent on — unlike the page counter in your PDF reader, which only exists on your screen.
Where numbers go
Bottom centre is the safe default and reads well in every context. Bottom outer corner — alternating left and right — is the convention for anything that will be printed double-sided and bound, because the number always falls on the outside edge where a thumb finds it.
Starting somewhere other than page one
- Cover pages are conventionally unnumbered, so numbering usually starts on the page after.
- A document that continues from another may need to start at 47 rather than 1.
- Front matter is often numbered separately, which is why the printed number and the PDF page position so often disagree.
Watch the margins
Numbers placed too close to the edge can be trimmed off by a printer, and numbers placed too far in can land on top of existing content. Scanned documents are the awkward case, because the original may already have numbers printed on it — check a few pages before committing to a position.
Related reading: numbering a document assembled from several files.
Questions people ask
Can I skip the cover page?
Yes — set which page numbering starts on, and what number it starts at.
Can I number only some of the pages?
Yes. Set the range that should carry numbers, which is how covers and dividers are left clean.
Will the numbers print?
Yes. They are drawn into the page rather than displayed by the reader, so they appear on paper and for everyone who opens the file.
Can I remove page numbers I added?
Not from the saved file — they are page content now. Keep the unnumbered original and number a copy.