The short answer
Drop your PDF into the tool below, choose one of the six positions, pick a format (1, 1 / 10 or Page 1 of 10), set Start at and Size, and download the numbered copy. Your original file is not changed, and nothing leaves your device.
For most documents the defaults are right: bottom center, plain numbers starting at 1, size 11. Change them only when the document needs it, for example a thesis with a title page or a report section that continues from page 37.
Try it here: Add Page Numbers to PDF
Open the full tool pageWhat the numbering tool does to your file
Page numbers are written onto each page as real text in a dark gray, about 1 cm (28 points) from the edge you choose. Because it is text and not a picture, the numbers stay sharp at any zoom and can be selected and searched. Everything else in the PDF, including links, bookmarks, form fields and the text layer, stays as it was.
Pages that are stored rotated, which is common with scans and landscape tables, are handled correctly: the number appears upright at the edge you see on screen, not sideways. Scanned documents work too, since the number is simply added on top of the page image.
- Positions: top left, top center, top right, bottom left, bottom center, bottom right
- Formats: 1, 1 / 10, Page 1 of 10
- Start at: any number from 0 to 9999
- Size: 6 to 48 points, 11 by default
- Skip first page: leaves the cover without a number
Choosing a position and format
Bottom center is the most common choice and works for documents read on screen and printed single sided. Bottom right (or top right) is easier to spot when people flip through a printed copy bound on the left. Top positions suit documents that already have a footer, such as letterheads with an address line at the bottom.
Plain numbers are enough for most reports. The 1 / 10 and Page 1 of 10 formats show the total, which helps when a document is printed, faxed or sent in parts, because a missing page is obvious. Contracts and exam papers often use Page 1 of 10 for exactly that reason.
| Document | Position | Format | Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Report or essay | Bottom center | 1 | 10 to 11 |
| Contract or agreement | Bottom right | Page 1 of 10 | 9 to 10 |
| Thesis chapter | Bottom center | 1 | 11 to 12 |
| Slides exported to PDF | Bottom right | 1 / 10 | 12 to 14 |
| Scanned pages or invoices | Top right | 1 / 10 | 11 |
Starting from a later page or skipping the cover
Turn on Skip first page to leave a cover or title page clean. The first page still counts, so with Start at 1 the second page shows 2, which is what most style guides expect: the title page is page 1 but the number is not printed.
If the page after the cover should show 1 instead, set Start at to 0 and turn on Skip first page. The cover becomes page 0 and is not printed, and the next page shows 1. With the 1 / 10 format the total also drops by one, so a ten page file with a cover reads 1 / 9 to 9 / 9.
For a chapter or appendix that continues a longer document, set Start at to its first page number, for example 37. The last page and the total in the 1 / 10 formats follow from that, so a 12 page chapter starting at 37 ends at 48 / 48.
Numbering merged documents
When several PDFs should read as one document, merge them first and number the merged file once. That gives continuous numbers and a correct total. If you number the parts first and merge afterwards, each part restarts at 1.
If the parts must stay separate files, number them one after another with matching start values: part one from 1, part two from the page after the last page of part one, and so on. You can drop several PDFs at once and use Download all as ZIP, but all files in one batch get the same settings, so give each part its own run when the start numbers differ.
Roman numerals and front matter
The tool writes Arabic numbers only. Theses and books often number the front matter (abstract, contents, preface) with i, ii, iii and start Arabic numbering at 1 with the first chapter. The cleanest way is to do this in the original document: in Word, insert a section break before chapter one (Layout, Breaks, Next Page), then in Format Page Numbers choose the i, ii, iii style for the first section and start the second section at 1.
If you only have the PDF, split it so the front matter and the main text are separate files, number the main text from 1 here, then merge the parts again. The front matter then has no printed numbers, which many universities accept for short front matter; check your own guidelines first.
Common problems and fixes
- The number overlaps text or a footer: choose another position, or a top position if the footer is busy, and lower Size to 9 or 10.
- The PDF already has numbers: the tool adds numbers but does not remove old ones. Pick a different corner, or export the original again without numbers.
- The file will not open: password protected PDFs cannot be edited until the protection is removed by the owner.
- The total looks wrong: remember that a skipped first page still counts. Use Start at 0 if the cover should not count.
- Numbers look too large when printed: 10 to 11 points matches normal body text; 14 and above is only useful for slides.