You can add page numbers to a PDF in the browser: drop the file in, choose the position, the starting number, the format, the font size and the font, tell the tool whether to skip the cover, and download a numbered copy. The pages are not re-encoded.
The number is drawn as new text on top of each page, so the original text stays selectable, links keep working and images keep their resolution. Six positions are available, from bottom center to top left; four formats cover a bare 1, Page 1, 1 / N and Page 1 of N; the font size runs from 8 to 24 points; and the font is one of four standard PDF fonts. Everything runs on your device with pdf-lib and nothing is uploaded. The output is a new file with -numbered appended to the name, and the original PDF on your disk is left untouched.
Numbering a PDF looks like a trivial job until a shared drive holds three versions of the same report and nobody in the meeting can point to page 14. This tool handles the narrow version of that problem: it writes a running number onto every page of a PDF you already have, at the position, starting value and style you pick.
Add Page Numbers
Write a running number onto every page of a PDF in the browser. Six positions, four formats, four fonts, and a switch to leave the first page blank. The file never leaves your device.
What "adding page numbers" actually means inside a PDF
A PDF page has no field called page number, so a number is always something that gets drawn onto the page. That is what this tool does: for each page it works out coordinates, then issues a draw-text instruction carrying the number and the selected font.
| Behaviour | Number written into the page (this tool) | Floating counter in a reader |
|---|---|---|
| Visible when printed | Yes | No |
| Found by text search | Yes, the number is searchable text | No |
| Travels with the file | Yes | No, it belongs to the viewer |
| Removable afterwards | Only by editing the PDF in an editor | Nothing to remove, it was never in the file |
A client who prints the PDF, an archivist who opens it in ten years on newer software, and a script that searches it for text all see the written number, and none of them see a viewer counter. That is why numbering belongs in the file.
How to add page numbers to a PDF
The whole job is three steps, and none of them needs an account.
- Add your PDF. Drop one PDF into the drop zone or click to browse. The page count is read on your device and shown on the file card, so you can confirm you opened the right document.
- Set the numbering. Choose a position such as Bottom center, type the start number, pick one of the four formats, drag the font size slider, select a font, and set Skip first page to Yes if the cover should stay clean.
- Add and download. Click Add page numbers. A progress bar walks from page to page, the result panel reports how many pages were numbered and the before and after sizes, and Download PDF saves a copy with -numbered appended.
Because the page count is read first, you can catch the wrong file before spending time on settings. A file that cannot be opened is reported on the status line instead of failing halfway through the run.
The settings that decide where the number lands
Six controls shape the result. Every value below is the actual range the tool accepts, and the default it starts with.
| Setting | Options | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Position | Bottom center, bottom right, bottom left, top center, top right, top left | Bottom center |
| Start number | Any whole number from 1 upward | 1 |
| Format | 1, Page 1, 1 / N, Page 1 of N | 1 |
| Font size | 8 to 24 points | 12 points |
| Font | Helvetica, Helvetica Bold, Times Roman, Courier | Helvetica |
| Skip first page | No, Yes | No |
Position and the margin, which is fixed
Six placements cover the usual layouts: the middle of the footer, either bottom corner, and the three matching spots in the header. What you cannot change is the distance from the edge. The margin is fixed at three percent of the page height and rounded to a whole point, which is 25 points on A4 and 24 points on US Letter, so different page sizes keep the same visual relationship with the edge.
The trade is that the margin is not a dial, so a document that already prints its own footer can end up with the number sitting close to it.
Start number, format and font
The start number is the value given to the first numbered page, and the counter rises by one from there. A number below 1 is raised to 1, so nothing can be numbered zero. This is the control that lets a chapter continuing an earlier file begin at 57 rather than restarting at 1.
The four formats are a bare 1, Page 1, 1 / N and Page 1 of N. In the last two, N is the total number of pages in the document, not the highest number printed. Font size runs from 8 to 24 points and starts at 12, and the four fonts are standard PDF fonts, so no font file has to be carried inside your document.
Skipping the cover page
Skip first page is a single switch, not a range. Set it to Yes and page one receives nothing while page two takes the start number; set it to No, the default, and the title page is numbered too.
One edge case is handled explicitly: a one page PDF with the switch on has nothing left to number, and the tool says so rather than producing an empty result.
A worked example: a 24 page report with a cover
Take a 24 page report whose first page is a title page that should stay bare.
- Add the file and check that the card reads 24 pages.
- Set the options: Position Bottom center, Format Page 1 of N, Start number 1, Skip first page Yes.
- Click Add page numbers. Page 1 stays blank, page 2 carries Page 1 of 24, and page 24 carries Page 23 of 24.
Notice the last line: because N is the total page count, the cover is counted in N even though it carries no number, so the final numbered page reads Page 23 of 24. If the body really must end on 24 of 24, either leave Skip first page on No and accept a number on the title page, or remove the title page first with the Organize PDF tool.
What the tool cannot do
Every limit below follows from keeping the operation small and predictable. Knowing them tells you whether this page fits your document.
| Limit | What it means in practice | What to use instead |
|---|---|---|
| No Roman numerals or section numbering | Only the four formats exist, so a front matter numbered i, ii, iii is out of reach | The source document, where the numbering style can be set once |
| The number is always black | The colour is fixed, so a number that must match a coloured footer will not match | A layout tool, or re-export the PDF from the source with the colour set there |
| The margin is fixed at three percent of the page height | You cannot nudge the number inward to clear a printed footer | Crop the page first, then the number sits relative to the new edge |
| Only the first page can be excluded | Pages three to five, or an appendix, cannot be left out of the sequence | Split the PDF, number the parts separately, then merge them back |
| Encrypted files are refused | A password protected PDF will not load, and the tool reports the failure on the status line | Strip the password you know with the Unlock PDF tool, then number the opened copy |
| One PDF per run | A folder of invoices is one run per file, not one batch | Merge them first if one continuous number is acceptable |
| Numbering cannot be undone here | The tool has no undo and cannot strip the numbers out of the output again | Keep the original PDF and re-run the tool on the original with new settings |
When a different workflow fits better
Page numbering is a formatting feature everywhere except in a finished PDF. Word, Google Docs, Pages and InDesign keep numbers as document properties, so they reflow with the text and can restart per section. If you still have the source file, doing it there is usually the better move; this tool exists for the cases where the PDF is all you have.
The document is still being edited
Stamping numbers while a document is still changing is the classic mistake. Insert one paragraph and every later number shifts, but a stamped number is now fixed text on a fixed page. Number the file once the content is frozen.
The PDF is a scan or came from a camera
A scan is an image wrapped in a PDF, and this tool still numbers it correctly, because all it does is draw text on top of the page. What it cannot fix is that the underlying text is not searchable. If you plan to search the document later, run optical character recognition first and number it afterwards, since the numbering step is harmless either way.
The PDF is locked
A password protected file fails to load, and the status line says so plainly instead of producing a broken output. Remove a password you already know with the Unlock PDF tool, number the opened copy, then re-apply protection if the document has to travel locked.