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Add page numbers to a PDF

Number the pages of a document, in the corner you choose. Nothing is uploaded — the numbering happens in your browser.

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Why use this tool

  • No file size limit

    Full-size photos straight from your phone or camera.

  • Nothing is uploaded

    Processed entirely in your browser. Your files never leave your device.

  • No signup needed

    Open the tool and go. No account, no email.

Page numbers matter as soon as a document leaves your hands. A court filing, a tender, a thesis or a contract all get referred to by page: "see page 14" only works if page 14 says so.

Documents that were scanned, exported from a slide deck, or merged from several sources usually have none. This adds them to a finished PDF, without going back to whatever produced it.

How to add page numbers to a PDF

  1. Add your PDF

    Drop it on the box above, or click to pick it. The page count appears straight away.

  2. Choose where they go

    Six positions — three along the bottom, three along the top. Bottom centre is the usual choice for printed documents.

  3. Set the first number

    Numbering starts at 1 by default. Change it if this file continues from another, and skip the first page if it is a cover.

Where to put the number

Bottom centre is the safe default and the convention for most printed documents: it sits clear of the binding edge and reads the same whether pages are stapled on the left or the right.

Bottom right is common in reports and legal filings, because it is where a thumb lands when flicking through a stack. Bottom left suits documents bound on the right.

The top positions are for documents that already have something along the bottom — a footer, a disclaimer, a signature block — and would otherwise collide with it.

Starting somewhere other than one

A document split into parts should carry on counting. If the first volume ended at page 40, the second should start at 41 so a reference to page 45 points at one page rather than two.

The starting number does exactly that: set it to 41 and the first page is numbered 41, the second 42, and so on.

Skipping the first page handles the other common case — a cover or title page that should not be numbered, with the count starting on the page after it. The skipped page gets no number at all rather than a hidden one.

How the number is drawn

Numbers are set in Helvetica, one of the fourteen fonts every PDF reader is required to have. Nothing is embedded, so the file grows by a few hundred bytes for a whole document rather than the hundreds of kilobytes a font would add.

The number is placed against each page's own size, so a document mixing A4 text with wide landscape tables gets its numbers in the right place on every page rather than at one fixed coordinate.

Numbers are drawn on top of the existing content. On a page whose margin is already occupied at that corner, choose a different position rather than expecting the number to move itself.

Choosing a position

Where each option puts the number.

PositionReads well inAvoid when
Bottom centreMost printed documents, reports, essaysA footer already sits centred at the foot
Bottom rightLegal filings, documents bound on the leftThe page has a signature block bottom right
Top rightDocuments with a busy footerA letterhead or logo occupies the top corner

When people number a PDF

  • A bundle for a court or tribunal

    Continuous numbering across a document assembled from many sources, so every reference lands.

  • A thesis or long report

    Numbers added after the sections were merged, without re-exporting from the word processor.

  • A scanned document

    Pages that never had numbers because they came from a scanner rather than a layout program.

  • A tender or contract

    Paperwork that has to be referred to by page in correspondence and at signing.

Frequently asked questions

Is my PDF uploaded?
No. The numbering runs in your browser, on your own device. The file never reaches a server, so there is nothing to delete afterwards.
Can I start at a number other than 1?
Yes. Set the starting number, and the first numbered page takes it — useful when a document continues from another volume.
Can I leave the cover unnumbered?
Yes. Skip the first page, and counting begins on the page after it. The cover gets no number at all.
How much bigger does the file get?
Almost nothing — a few hundred bytes for a whole document. Helvetica is built into every PDF reader, so no font is embedded.
Will the number overlap my content?
It is drawn in the page margin, on top of whatever is there. If that corner is already occupied, pick one of the other five positions.
Does it work on landscape or mixed page sizes?
Yes. The number is placed against each page's own dimensions, so mixed documents are numbered correctly throughout.
Can I remove the numbers later?
Not with this tool — they become part of the page. Keep the original file if you may need an unnumbered copy.
Can I number a password-protected PDF?
No. An encrypted PDF cannot be opened here. Remove the password in the application that created it first.

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