How to Add Page Numbers to a PDF
To add numbers to a PDF that has none, open the page-number tool, choose a format, position, starting number and size, then download numbered.pdf. The numbers are drawn in your browser and the original file is left alone.
Open the tool：Add Page Numbers
When page numbers are actually needed
You merged a dozen documents or scanned a stack of paper, and once the pages are printed and shuffled there is no way to put them back in order. A number on every page solves that. The same applies when a submission portal requires a continuous footer and the exported PDF has none.
Binding, archiving and citing a long document all rely on page numbers. Adding them to the existing PDF is less disruptive than going back to Word and exporting again, because the layout stays exactly as it was.
- Printed pages from merged or scanned files get mixed up.
- A submission portal requires continuous footer numbers.
- Binding or archiving needs page references.
- Long documents are easier to cite with numbers.
Formats, positions and the usual traps
There are three formats: 1, 1/N and - 1 -. In 1/N, N is the number of the last page, which equals the total when you start at 1. Start at 5 and the label reads 5 / last page number. Positions are bottom-centre, bottom-right, bottom-left, top-centre and top-right; choose one that avoids existing footer content.
Every page gets a number — there is no way to skip the cover or select pages. To leave the cover unnumbered, extract it first, number the body, then merge the cover back in front. The tool does not detect existing numbers, so running it twice stacks two layers. Numbers are drawn in Helvetica, which covers digits and basic Latin punctuation but no Chinese characters, so “Page X of Y” in Chinese is not possible. If a page carries a 90° or 180° rotation flag, the number rotates with it and may not sit where you expect; check one file before batching.
- In 1/N, N is the last page number, not the number of pages remaining.
- The cover cannot be skipped directly; extract it first.
- Digits and basic Latin only — no Chinese text.
- Pages with a rotation flag can put the number in the wrong place.
When not to use it
If you need “Page 1 of 10” in Chinese, or a footer with a document title and version, this tool cannot do it; use Word, LaTeX or Acrobat's header/footer feature. If the body should start at 1 while the cover stays unnumbered, extract the cover, number the body, then merge the cover back.
Removing old numbers is also out of scope: this tool only adds, so old numbers stay on the page. Bates numbering and prefixed case-file numbers need a dedicated tool. Adding numbers does not compress the PDF, so a scan stays large. Processing is local and the file is never uploaded.
- Chinese page numbers or custom footers: use a layout tool.
- Unnumbered cover: extract, number, merge back.
- Removing old numbers: not supported.
- Bates or case-file numbering: use a specialist tool.
FAQ
How do I start page numbering from the second page?
The tool numbers every page, so you cannot skip the first one directly. Extract the cover, number the remaining body, then merge the cover back at the front. The cover ends up without a number and the body starts at 1.
Why is the page number in the wrong place, or upside down?
The page probably carries a 90° or 180° rotation flag, and the number rotates with the page. Try another position or a smaller size, or straighten the page in an app that applies rotation before adding numbers.
What does the N in 1/N mean, and can I edit the numbers later?
N is the last page number: with a start of 1 it equals the total, and with a start of 5 it reads 5 / last page number. To change the result, upload the original and generate again; existing numbers are not removed automatically, so processing twice stacks layers.
Related tool：Add Page Numbers