How to use Add page numbers to PDF
- Choose the PDF.
- Pick page numbers, header or footer text, or Bates numbers, and edit the text if you like.
- Choose the position, font size, first number, and which pages to stamp.
- Select Add to PDF and download the result.
Page numbers, headers and footers
Page numbers make a long document easy to discuss: on page 14 is clearer than near the end. The default text, Page {n} of {total}, becomes Page 1 of 12, Page 2 of 12 and so on; change it to just {n}, or to a header such as Acme Ltd, Board pack, October 2026, with or without a number. Choose a corner or the centre of the top or bottom edge, a font size, and which pages to stamp.
To leave a cover page or table of contents unnumbered, enter 2- or 3- in Pages. Set First number to choose where counting starts, for example 1 on the page after the cover, or 41 to continue from a previous document.
Bates numbering
In litigation and regulatory work, every page produced is stamped with a unique Bates number, a prefix plus a zero-padded sequence such as ACME000041, so any page can be identified exactly in correspondence and in court. Choose Bates numbers, set the prefix, and set the first number to continue a production. Numbers are six digits and appear at the bottom right by default, where they're least likely to cover content.
What happens to your file
The text is drawn into each page as real text in a standard PDF font, so it can be selected, searched and read by screen readers. Nothing else on the page changes. The built-in font covers Latin letters, digits and common punctuation; if your text contains characters it can't print, the tool tells you which one rather than producing a broken file.
Everything happens in your browser. The PDF is never uploaded, and the stamped copy is a new file, so your original is unchanged.
Common uses
Numbering a merged board pack or report before it's printed, adding Draft or a company name to the header of every page, preparing exhibits and disclosure bundles with Bates numbers, or numbering scanned pages so a reviewer can refer to them.
Questions
- Can I skip the cover page?
- Yes. Enter 2- in Pages to start on page 2, and set the first number to 1 if the numbering should start there.
- What are Bates numbers?
- Sequential, zero-padded identifiers such as ACME000041 stamped on every page of documents exchanged in legal proceedings, so any page can be cited exactly. Set a prefix and a first number to continue an existing sequence.
- Is my PDF uploaded?
- No. The text is added in your browser, as real text you can select and search, and the file never leaves your device.