Add Page Numbers to PDF

Add page numbers to a PDF: no number on the cover, i and ii up front, 1 for the body

Drop a PDF into the box above and it opens as an open book, with the number that will be printed shown on every page. You decide where numbering changes by splitting the document into sections. Set the cover to "No number", the summary and contents to "i, ii, iii" and the body to "1, 2, 3". For each section you pick a start page, a style and a first number, and the ruler below lists every PDF page next to its printed number. Position (top or bottom, left, center, right or outside), number format ("- 1 -", "Page 1 of 12"), font, size and color all move the number on the spread as soon as you change them.

The sample PDF is a made-up 12-page report: cover, summary, contents, 8 body pages and a back cover. It opens with the cover and back cover blank, i and ii on the summary and contents, and 1 to 8 on the body, so the page numbers in its contents (1, 4 and 7) match what is printed. Saving it as it is numbers 10 pages and changes the file from 198 KB to 193 KB. Your PDF is processed inside this browser, never sent to a server, and your original file stays as it was.

When you need page numbers

• Meetings and classes: "Look at the table on page 12" only works if everyone sees the same number. Viewers show their own page box differently, so a number printed on the page is the one that survives screens and paper alike.
• Papers and assignments: Many courses and journals specify the number and its place. APA Style says: "Insert page numbers in the top right corner. The page number should show on all pages." and "The title page carries page number 1." Your department may want something else, such as roman numerals for front matter, so check its guide before you submit.
• Packets assembled from several PDFs: An application, its supporting documents and the attachments each arrive with their own numbering. Merge them first, then number the finished file straight through so a reader can say "see page 23 of the packet".
• Printed and bound copies: In a double-sided booklet, odd pages are on the right and even pages on the left. Numbers placed on the outside sit at the edge of every page as you flip through.

How to use it

1. Drag the PDF into the box above or press [Choose PDF]. It opens with every page numbered from 1.
2. Under "Pages", press [All pages], [Skip cover] or [Cover, front, body], whichever is closest, then adjust start page, style and first number in the section table. You can also turn to a page in the spread and press [New section from page n], or drag a flag on the ruler to move a section's start.
3. In the settings bar, choose the number format, position, font, size, distance from the edge and color. Clicking the top or bottom edge of a page in the spread also moves the number there.
4. Use the ← → keys or the ruler to flip through landscape pages, small pages and pages with a header, and check that the number never touches the content.
5. Press [Add numbers and save] and a new PDF is saved with "-numbered" added to the original name. If you change a setting afterwards, save again to get it in the file.

Numbering in sections

A section says "from this page, use this style, counting from this number". It runs up to the page before the next section starts, and the first section always begins on page 1. Inside a section the printed number is:

printed number = first number + (PDF page − section start page)

For example, if the body section starts on page 4 with first number 1, the 7th page of the PDF prints 1 + (7 − 4) = 4. Split into four sections, the sample PDF looks like this.

If your document continues another file, change the first number. When volume 1 ended on page 120, give the body of volume 2 a first number of 121. To count the cover but not print on it, leave it as "No number" and start the body section at 2.

Number styles

Each section uses one of five styles, the same ones PDF page labels define (ISO 32000-1, Table 159). Letter styles repeat the letter after z, so you get aa, bb and so on.

The text around the number comes from "Format". The preset chips show how your own document would look, and [Custom] lets you write anything using {n} (this page's number) and {t} (the last number in the section).

Where to put the number

• Bottom center: The safest choice. It sits in the same place whichever way a reader flips, and many style guides ask for it.
• Top right: This is where APA Style puts it. If your pages already have a title band or a running header there, the number can land on top of it, so check the spread. In the sample PDF the body pages have a band at the top, and choosing "Top" places the number just below it.
• Outside: For double-sided printing. Page 1 counts as a right-hand page, so odd pages get the right edge and even pages the left. The spread preview follows the same rule: page 1 alone on the right, then 2–3, 4–5 and so on.
• Distance from the edge: 12 mm by default. Closer to the edge means less overlap with content, but a printer may not reach the very edge, so print a test page for anything you will print. On very small pages such as receipts the distance is limited to a quarter of the page, and the number is shrunk so it never leaves the page.
• Landscape and rotated pages: Top, bottom, left and right always mean what you see on screen. A PDF can store a Rotate value (clockwise, in steps of 90 degrees) to turn a page, and this tool reads it so the number stands upright in the direction the page is shown.

Printed numbers and the viewer's page box

The number in a PDF viewer's page box is separate from what is printed on the page. The PDF standard gives every page a plain index starting at 0, and lets a file add human-readable "page labels" on top (ISO 32000-1, 12.4.2). Its own example is a document whose first 12 pages are labeled i to xii and whose next page is 1.

With "Match viewer page numbers" switched on, your sections are written as page labels too. In viewers that support labels, the page box then shows i, ii, 1 and so on, and typing "4" in it takes you to body page 4. The PDF viewer built into Firefox (pdf.js) shows the label in the page box with "(n of N)" next to it. Pages in a "No number" section get an empty label. A viewer that ignores labels keeps counting from 1, while the numbers printed on the pages stay the same.

If the PDF already has page labels, a notice appears above the settings. Saving with the switch on replaces them with your sections. Turn the switch off to keep the original labels.

What changes in the saved PDF

Common mistakes

• The document already has numbers: This tool does not find or remove existing numbers. Put the new one in the same spot and the two overlap, so check the spread and pick another position. To replace the old numbers, export the PDF again from the source program without them. Covering them with a white box leaves the old digits inside the file.
• Numbering before merging or deleting pages: Delete a page after numbering and the sequence skips a number. Split the file and the second part starts mid-count. Merge, delete and rotate first, then number the final file.
• The contents page does not match: Usually the body section starts one page off. On the ruler, check that the first body page prints 1, and move the flag if it does not.
• The "of 12" total: {t} is the last number in the section, not the page count of the whole file. A 12-page document with a blank cover reads "Page 1 of 11". If you want the true total, choose [Custom] and type the figure yourself, for example Page {n} of 12.
• A number you cannot see: White is meant for dark pages. White numbers on a white page disappear.
• Scanned documents: Scans can have shadows or punch-hole marks near the edge. Increase the distance a little so the number does not land on them.

Limits to know about

• Around the number you can use Latin letters, digits, symbols and accented Latin letters such as é and ñ. The standard fonts' character set (ISO 32000-1, Annex D) has no CJK characters, so text such as "1ページ" or "第1頁" cannot be added.
• PDFs with a password or usage restrictions do not open. If you have the right to edit one, number a copy you made with Unlock PDF.
• One PDF at a time, up to 100 MB and 1,000 pages. For a larger file, cut it up with Split PDF, then set the first number of each later part so the count continues.
• The preview draws the number in a screen font but uses the width of the standard font that will be saved. In the saved file the letter shapes can differ slightly, depending on which substitute font the viewer uses.
• Some PDFs cannot be previewed. They show as blank pages, but number positions and saving work the same.
• The tool was tested in Chrome. Speed and memory use in other browsers were not measured.

Checked on Standards and sources, and the sample figures, were checked on 2026-10-21. Style guides differ between schools and journals, so read the latest instructions before you submit.

Sources

• 01ISO 32000-1:2008 Document management, Portable document format (Adobe public copy)12.4.2 page labels (index and label are separate, i to xii example), Table 159 page label dictionary (S, St; a to z then aa to zz), Table 30 Rotate (clockwise, multiples of 90), 9.6.2.2 standard 14 fonts, Annex D Latin character set
• 02pdf-lib API, PDFPage.drawTextThe function that lays text on a page (position, size, font, color, rotation). This tool numbers and saves with version 1.17.1 (MIT license)
• 03pdf.js 3.11.174, web/toolbar.jsViewer code that shows the page label in the page box with "(n of N)" next to it. The preview is also drawn with this engine (Apache-2.0 license)
• 04APA Style, Page header"Insert page numbers in the top right corner. The page number should show on all pages." and "The title page carries page number 1."
• 05Library of Congress, PDF/A-1, PDF for Long-term PreservationPDF/A-1 requires all fonts used to be embedded in the file

Frequently asked questions

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