How to add page numbers to a PDF
Number the pages of a PDF in your browser, choose the format and position, skip the cover page, and avoid numbering mistakes when combining files.
· 3 min read
To add page numbers to a PDF, open PDF Page Numbers, drop your file, pick a format and a corner, and download the numbered copy. The whole thing takes about a minute and nothing is installed.
The quick way
- Open PDF Page Numbers and drop your PDF.
- Choose the format: "1", "1 / 10" or "Page 1".
- Choose the position: bottom or top, left, centre or right.
- Set the start number if the document shouldn't begin at 1, and adjust the font size if needed.
- Tick Don't number the first page if the first page is a cover.
- Click Add page numbers and download the result.
The file is processed in your browser: it is not uploaded to a server.
Merge first, then number
If your document is made of several PDFs — a report plus its appendices, a thesis split into chapters, several scanned letters — combine them before numbering. Numbering each file separately gives you several sequences that all start at 1, which is exactly what you want to avoid.
- Put the files together with Merge PDF.
- Check the page order. If a page is misplaced, upside down or shouldn't be there, fix it with Organize PDF.
- Only then add the page numbers, on the final file.
The same logic applies after any change to the page order: numbers are drawn onto the pages, so moving pages afterwards moves their numbers with them and breaks the sequence. Number last.
Which format to choose
| Format | Good for |
|---|---|
| 1 | Books, reports, anything printed and bound |
| 1 / 10 | Documents where the reader must know nothing is missing: contracts, application files, exam papers |
| Page 1 | Documents read on screen or by people less used to formal layouts |
Bottom centre is the most common position and rarely clashes with content. Bottom right works well for documents printed single-sided. Top positions can collide with letterheads, so check the result on a page with a header.
The cover page and custom starts
- Skip the cover. With the option ticked, the first page gets no number and the count starts on the second page, which shows your start number (1 by default). The cover is also left out of the total in the "1 / 10" format. If you prefer the cover to count as page 1, keep the option ticked and set the start number to 2.
- Start at another number. If your PDF is part two of a longer document, set the start number to continue the previous sequence (for example 41 if part one ended on page 40).
Common problems
The number overlaps text or a footer. Some documents already use the bottom margin. Try another position, or reduce the font size.
The document already has page numbers. The tool adds new numbers; it can't remove existing ones. If old numbers are part of the page content, you would end up with both. In that case, number the original source document (Word, Google Docs…) and export it again.
Numbers are off after I removed a page. Numbers are part of the page once added. Go back to the file without numbers, fix the pages, then number again.
Different numbering for different sections. Roman numerals aren't available, and one run numbers the whole file as a single sequence. If you need separate sequences, number each section as its own file with its own start number, then merge them.
Limits worth knowing
- Numbers are added as text on top of each page; they are not PDF "page labels" that some readers display in their navigation bar.
- A password-protected PDF has to be unlocked first; the tool can't number a file it can't open.
- Very large files depend on your device's memory, since everything runs locally.
Once your document is numbered, you may want to compress it before sending it by email. For more on combining files, see how to merge PDF files.