Page numbers stamps a number on every page of a PDF, or only on the pages you choose. You decide where it sits, how it reads, the font, size, color and margin, and the number to count from, so a document that was exported without numbering, or assembled from several sources, ends up with one consistent sequence.
The numbers are drawn into the PDF as ordinary text in a standard font, so they print and display like the rest of the page and nothing else is changed. All of it runs in your browser with JavaScript. The file is never uploaded, there is no account, and closing the tab leaves nothing behind. One PDF at a time, up to 100 MB.
The tool adds numbers; it does not find or remove numbers that are already on the page, so an already numbered document will show both. The five built-in fonts cover Latin characters only. And {total} is the last number printed, not the length of the document, so numbering only some pages changes what Page 3 of 10 means.
How to use Page numbers
- 1Select the PDF, or drop it onto the page.
- 2Under Format, type the wording you want or click a preset such as Page {n} of {total}. {n} becomes the page number and {total} the count.
- 3Click a cell on the Position grid to choose where the number goes. Bottom center is the default.
- 4Change Font, Size (pt), Colour, Margin (pt) and Start numbering at if the defaults of Helvetica, 11 pt, dark gray, 28 pt and 1 are not what you need.
- 5Under Number these pages, keep All pages or pick Chosen pages and enter a range such as 2-last.
- 6Click Add page numbers and download the numbered PDF.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I skip the cover page and start numbering on page 2?
- Yes. Choose Chosen pages under Number these pages and enter 2-last. Page 2 then receives the first number, which is 1 unless you change Start numbering at. Set it to 2 if you want the printed number to match the position in the file.
- Can I start at a number other than 1?
- Type the starting number into Start numbering at. This is useful when the file is one chapter of a longer work. {total} shifts with it, so a 10-page file starting at 5 shows Page 5 of 14 on its first page.
- What can I put in the Format box?
- Any text that contains {n}, for example Section A - {n} or just {n}. {total} is optional. The built-in fonts cover Latin characters only, so a format written in another script, such as Cyrillic, Arabic or Chinese, is refused with a message instead of producing a broken file.
- My PDF already has page numbers. Will they be replaced?
- No. The tool draws on top of the existing page content and does not detect numbers that are already there. Pick a corner the existing numbers do not use, or remove them in the program that made the PDF.
- Does it work on landscape or rotated pages?
- Yes. The position you choose is measured on the page as a reader sees it, so bottom right lands in the bottom right corner even when a page is stored rotated, and the number is turned to read the right way up.
- Is my file uploaded anywhere?
- No. The numbers are added on your own device with JavaScript and the PDF never leaves your browser. A password-protected file cannot be opened, though; remove the password with Unlock PDF first.