Add Page Numbers to PDF
LocalAdd page numbers to PDF documents
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PDF • Max 100 MB
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Your files are processed entirely in your browser. Nothing is uploaded to any server.
How do I add page numbers to a PDF?
Open the PDF, choose where the numbers sit, pick a number format, and set which page to start on and what number to start from. The numbers are drawn onto the pages and the updated file downloads immediately. Nothing is uploaded — the document is modified by code running in your browser.
About the Add Page Numbers to PDF
Add page numbers to PDF pages. Customize position, format, and starting number.
- Number a merged bundle of exhibits, invoices or handouts that arrived as separate files with no continuous numbering.
- Start numbering after a cover page or table of contents by setting the first numbered page and the first printed number independently.
- Match a house style with the 1 of 10 or - 1 - format and a chosen corner or centre position.
- Add references a reviewer can cite in an email, so page 14 means the same thing to both of you.
How to use the Page Numbers tool
- 1
Upload PDF file
Select PDF file from your device or drag file into the upload area.
- 2
Choose settings
Choose settings such as Position, Format, Start from page before processing.
- 3
Add Page Numbers
Run the Page Numbers tool to create the PDF output.
- 4
Download the result
Download the finished file. The original file stays on your device and is not uploaded.
Which numbering format should you choose?
Plain numbers are the default and suit most documents. The "1 of 10" style states the total as well, which is genuinely useful for anything that will be printed and handled as loose paper — a reader can tell at a glance whether a page is missing from a bundle. The dashed style sets the number apart from body text, a convention borrowed from typeset books and useful when the page already has figures near the footer that could be confused with pagination.
Why do the start-page and start-number settings matter?
Because printed numbering and physical page order often disagree. If a document opens with a cover and a contents page, numbering should usually begin on the third sheet — set the start page to skip them. If this PDF is one section of a larger bound document that already ran to page 24, set the starting number so it continues from 25 rather than restarting at 1. The two settings are independent, which is what lets you match an existing house style.
Will the numbers clash with existing content?
They can, and it is worth one check before you send the file. The numbers are drawn at a fixed inset from the page edge, so on documents with deep footers, printed footnotes, or an existing header they may land close to something already there. Choose a position on the emptier side of the page — top corners are often clear on documents that use the footer, and vice versa — then open the result and glance at the first, middle, and last pages.
Are my files uploaded when adding page numbers to a PDF?
No. Pagination is added by rewriting the page content locally. Documents that need numbering are usually being assembled for submission — court bundles, tender responses, grant applications, board papers — and those are exactly the deadline-driven moments when a file gets handed to whatever website appears first. This tool removes that risk by never having a server to upload to.
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