Guide · 2 min read
How to Add Page Numbers to a PDF
Number PDF pages with position, format, and start-number controls.
Maintained by Leslie · Updated
Examples describe expected workflows unless a dated test is explicitly identified. Check the downloaded result against your own document before sharing it.
Why add page numbers
Page numbers make long documents easier to navigate, reference, and discuss. They are essential for reports, manuals, contracts, and any document shared for review.
Add PDF Page Numbers stamps numbers on every page or a selected range, with full control over position and format.
Numbering steps
Upload your PDF and pick a position: bottom center is the most common choice. Choose a format — simple numbers (1,2,3), page-prefixed (Page 1), or total-inclusive (1/10).
Set the starting number if your document numbering should not begin at 1, then choose which pages to number.
Numbering tips
Use the Pages field to skip a cover page by numbering from page 2 onward. For a ten-page PDF, enter "2-10" as the range; use the actual last page number of your document.
Page numbers are drawn near the chosen page edge. Inspect the available space and adjust font size to avoid overlapping your content.
Skip a cover and understand the total
For a ten-page document with an unnumbered cover, select 2-10 and start at 1. The labels run from 1 to 9 across the nine selected pages. If you choose the total-inclusive format, they run from 1 / 10 to 9 / 10 because the denominator is the full document count, including the cover.
If you need 1 / 9 through 9 / 9 on that body, extract the nine body pages, number that file, and then merge the cover back if necessary. For a discontinuous selection such as 2,4,6, the numbering advances only on the selected pages rather than matching the source positions.
Inspect margins after the final page order is set
Rearrange and delete pages before numbering when possible. Added labels are page content; they do not automatically update after later reordering or merging. They also do not change a reader’s internal page labels or replace old printed numbers.
Check the first numbered page, the last, and any landscape or tightly cropped pages. The tool uses fixed positions near the edges and does not reserve new blank margins. If a label overlaps an existing footer, select another position or reduce the font size and retry from the unnumbered original.