Add Page Numbers to PDF

Open a PDF, choose where the numbers go and how they read, and press Add page numbers. A preview shows the finished pages — step through them to check — and the numbered PDF is ready to download. The line above the button tells you exactly what the first and last numbered pages will say before you commit.

Numbers are added in your browser; the document is never uploaded. That matters for what typically needs numbering: legal filings, theses, reports, and manuals.

The options

• Position — any corner or the center, at the top or bottom of the page.
• Format — 1, Page 1, Page 1 of 10, 1 / 10, or your own wording: in a custom label, {n} is the page number and {total} the last number, so Seite {n} von {total} or — {n} — work too.
• Start at — begin counting from any number, e.g. 5 when this PDF continues a document that ended on page 4. Starting at 0 is allowed.
• Pages to number — all pages; skip the first few (a cover or title page stays unnumbered, and counting starts on the next page); or only a range such as 3-12.
• Options — the font (Helvetica, Times, or Courier, regular or bold), its size, and the distance from the page edge.

The {total} in "Page 1 of N" is the last number printed — so with the cover skipped, a 10-page PDF reads "Page 1 of 9" through "Page 9 of 9", as readers expect.

Correct on rotated and cropped pages

Scanners and other tools often save a landscape page as a portrait page with a Rotate value, and some PDFs show only part of each page through a crop box. This tool places each number relative to the page as a viewer shows it — the visible area, the right way up — so "bottom center" really is the bottom center on every page, never up the side of a rotated scan or off the edge of a cropped one.

Common uses

• Number a merged PDF before submitting it to a court, a journal, or an exam board
• Add "Page X of Y" to a report or contract so readers can tell whether pages are missing
• Number a thesis starting after the title page
• Continue numbering across separate files by setting the start number

Example

proposal.pdf — 14 pages (page 1 is the cover)
Position: Bottom right · Format: Page 1 of N
Pages to number: Skip the first 1

proposal-numbered.pdf
Page 1: no number
Page 2: “Page 1 of 13” … Page 14: “Page 13 of 13”

Limitations

• Numbers use the standard PDF fonts, which cover Western European characters — accents, €, curly quotes and dashes work; Cyrillic, Greek, CJK, and emoji in a custom label do not, and the tool will tell you which character is the problem.
• The number is drawn on top of the page. If the page already has content in that spot, move the number to another position or increase the margin.
• Password-protected PDFs must be unlocked first.

How do I add page numbers to a PDF for free?

Open the PDF above, pick a position and a format, and press Add page numbers, then Download PDF. It runs in your browser, so there is no upload, sign-up, or watermark, and the rest of the document is left exactly as it was.

How do I add “Page 1 of 10” style numbers?

Choose the Page 1 of N format, or 1 / N for a shorter version. The total is filled in automatically as the last number printed, so it stays right when you skip a cover page or start from a different number.

How do I skip the cover page when numbering a PDF?

Set Pages to number to Skip the first pages and enter 1 (or however many front pages to leave out). Those pages stay unnumbered and counting starts at 1 on the next page — change Start at if you want the count to begin at 2 instead.

Can I start page numbering at a number other than 1?

Yes — type any whole number in Start at. That is useful when a PDF is one part of a longer document, such as chapter files or an appendix that continues the main report's numbering.

Will the page numbers be in the right place on landscape or rotated pages?

Yes. Each number is positioned relative to the page as it is displayed — after its rotation and crop are applied — and drawn upright, so a landscape page scanned as a rotated portrait page still gets its number at the bottom, reading the right way.

Can I put page numbers in another language or with special characters?

Custom labels work with Western European text — “Seite {n} von {total}”, “Página {n}”, accents, €, dashes, and curly quotes are all fine. The standard PDF fonts used here can't draw Cyrillic, Greek, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or emoji, and the tool points out the first character it can't draw.

Does adding page numbers change the rest of the PDF?

No. The numbers are added as a small piece of text on top of each page. The existing text, images, links, bookmarks, and form fields are not modified or re-rendered, and text stays selectable.