Add Page Numbers to PDF

Add page numbers to any PDF in one of six positions, in the style you want, such as 1, Page 1 or Page 1 of 12. Start from any number, leave a cover page unnumbered or number only the pages you pick, and swap sides on even pages for printed books. Numbers stay upright on sideways pages. It all happens in your browser, so the PDF is never uploaded.

How it works

Add Page Numbers to PDF is a web page that does its work on your own device. The file you choose is opened by your browser, changed there and saved from there; it is never sent to a server, so there is no copy of it anywhere to delete, no queue and no waiting for an upload. Most online tools of this kind send your file to their servers and work on it there, and many keep it for a while. This one does not. There is no account, no watermark and no limit on how often you use it, and the result downloads the moment it is ready.

Numbers that land where you expect

Page numbers look simple until a document mixes portrait and landscape pages, or was scanned with some pages turned. Many tools stamp the number in the same spot on every page's raw layout, so on a sideways page it ends up running up the edge. This tool checks how each page is shown and turns the number with it, so it reads the right way up in the corner you picked on every page.

Common setups

• A report or assignment: bottom centre, style Page 1 of 12, all pages.
• A document with a cover page: choose All but the first. Set First number to 2 if the page after the cover should read 2.
• A printed booklet or thesis: bottom right, tick Swap sides on even pages, so numbers sit on the outer edge of every spread.
• A second part of a longer file: set First number to where the earlier part ended, plus one.

The rest of the PDF stays as it was

The numbers are added as a thin layer of text on top of each page. Nothing underneath is redrawn or compressed, text stays selectable and searchable, and links, bookmarks and form fields keep working. The file usually grows by only a few kilobytes.

What it does

• Six positions: top or bottom, left, centre or right
• Styles: 1, Page 1, Page 1 of 12, 1 of 12, 1 / 12 and - 1 -
• Start from any number, skip the cover page, or number only the pages you pick
• Swap left and right on even pages for double-sided printing
• Numbers sit upright on landscape and rotated pages
• Text, images, links, bookmarks and form fields are kept
• Your file never leaves your device

Questions

Is my PDF uploaded?

No. The page numbers are added by your browser on your own device, and the PDF is never sent to our server or anyone else's.

How do I add page numbers without numbering the cover page?

Choose All but the first. The cover stays blank and numbering begins on page two. If you want that page to show 2 rather than 1, set First number to 2.

Can I start numbering from a number other than 1?

Yes. Type any whole number from 0 to 99999 in First number. This is useful when a document continues from an earlier one, such as chapter two of a report.

What does Page 1 of 12 count?

The last number shown is the number on the last page you chose to number. If you number 11 pages starting at 1, the pages read Page 1 of 11 to Page 11 of 11.

Will the numbers be sideways on landscape pages?

No. The tool reads how each page is turned and places the number so it reads the right way up in the corner you chose, on portrait, landscape and rotated pages alike.

Does adding page numbers change the rest of the PDF?

No. The numbers are added on top of each page. Text stays selectable, images are not re-compressed, and links, bookmarks and fillable form fields keep working.

Can I add page numbers to a password-protected PDF?

Not until the password protection is removed. The tool will tell you if the file is protected.

Is it free?

Yes, completely free, with no sign-up, no watermark and no limit on pages.

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