Updated
Pick where the number goes, choose a style, and download a PDF with every page numbered. The numbering happens inside your browser, so the document stays on your device and we never see it.
Numbers earn their place the moment people need to point at a page. Think of a board pack discussed on a call, a manuscript going back and forth with an editor, or a stack of printed course notes that has to go back in order.
How to number the pages of a PDF
- Drag your PDF, or a folder of PDFs, into the drop zone.
- Pick a position and a number style.
- Set the first number, and turn on skip first page if the cover should stay unnumbered.
- Press Add numbers.
- Download the numbered file, or every file at once as a ZIP.
Six positions, four styles, your own start
Numbers can sit at the top or the bottom of the page, on the left, in the center or on the right. That gives six spots. The style can be a bare 7, Page 7, Page 7 of 40 or 7 / 40. The text is 10 point by default.
The start number matters when a file is one part of something longer. If chapter three of a report begins on page 58, set 58 and the count carries on where chapter two stopped. Skip first page keeps a title page clean. Counting then begins on the second page, which shows the start number you chose.
What happens to the pages underneath
Nothing on the page is redrawn. Each number is added as a separate layer above the existing content, so text, pictures and layout are left alone. The numbers are proper text, set in a standard typeface. They print crisply at any size, and a reader's search can find them.
Scanned documents work the same way, with the number laid over the page image. The one thing to watch is space. A number placed where a footer, logo or stamp already sits will overlap it, so choose a corner that is empty on every page.
Numbering a whole folder
Drop the entire folder in one go. Because the work runs in your browser, there is no batch cap, no daily allowance and no account to create. Each file can be up to 50 MB on the free plan and up to 500 MB on Pro. Speed depends on your device. When the batch is done, save the files one at a time or as a single ZIP.
For one continuous sequence across several documents, combine the files with Merge PDF first, then number the merged file.
Some sets come back every week, such as the handouts of a course. A pipeline runs the same steps over every file in them and can rename the outputs to a pattern. Pipelines are free to try on up to 3 files, and Pro runs them on up to 500.
FAQ
Can the numbering start at 12 instead of 1?
Yes. Enter 12 as the first number. With skip first page turned on, the 12 appears on the second page.
Will the number cover the footer that is already there?
It can, because the number is placed over whatever is already printed there. Choose a position that is empty on every page.
Are the numbers searchable text?
Yes. They are written as text in a standard font, not as an image, so they stay sharp in print and a reader can search for them.
Can the numbers be removed later?
No. This tool only adds numbers, so keep the original file whenever an unnumbered copy might be needed again.