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Page Numbers

Add page numbers to a PDF, choosing the position, format and starting number.

What Page Numbers does

Documents assembled from several sources usually arrive without page numbers, which makes them hard to reference in a meeting or a review.

This tool draws a number on every page, in the position and format you choose, and writes them into the file.

  • Six positions across the top and bottom of the page
  • Formats including a plain number, 'Page 1', and '1 of 20'
  • Configurable starting number

How to use Page Numbers

  1. 1

    Open your PDF

    Add the document you want to number.

  2. 2

    Choose position and format

    Bottom centre is the conventional choice. Pick the format that suits how the document will be referenced.

  3. 3

    Set the starting number

    Start from a number other than one when the document continues from another, or when front matter should not be counted.

  4. 4

    Apply and download

    Numbers are written into every page of the new file.

Limits and known behaviour

  • Numbers are added to every page. Skipping a cover page is only possible by changing the starting number, not by excluding pages.
  • Numbers are drawn at a fixed size in a standard font, and may overlap content that already occupies that corner.
  • Roman numerals and section-based numbering are not supported.
  • Existing page numbers are not detected or replaced; adding new ones on top of old ones produces two sets.
  • Password-protected PDFs cannot be opened. The PDF library used here has no decryption support, so an encrypted file is rejected rather than partially processed. Remove the password in a PDF reader first.
  • There is no file size limit, but the whole document is held in memory while it is processed. Very large or image-heavy files can make the tab slow or unresponsive on a device with limited RAM.

Privacy and data handling

Runs entirely in your browser

  • Your PDF is read into this page by the browser and rebuilt here. It is never uploaded, so no copy of it exists on any server.
  • The original file on your disk is not modified; the tool produces a new file for you to download.
  • Nothing is kept after you close the tab.

Site-wide data handling, including analytics and advertising, is described in the privacy policy.

Frequently asked questions

Can I skip numbering the cover page?

Not directly. A common approach is to split the cover off, number the rest starting from one, then merge the cover back on.

Will the number overlap my footer?

It can, since the number is placed at a fixed position. Choose a corner that your layout leaves empty.