How to add page numbers to a PDF
Numbering pages makes a long file easy to read, print and refer to. Here is how to number PDF pages in a few clicks:
- Add your PDF.
- Click one of the six spots for the position: top or bottom, left, centre or right.
- Pick a style: 1, 2, 3, or Page 1, or 1 / 12, or Page 1 of 12.
- Choose the size: small, medium or large.
- Set the starting number and, if needed, which pages to number.
- Press Add page numbers and download the file ending in -numbered.
The numbers are added in a soft dark grey so they look neat on most pages. Your original PDF is not changed; you get a new numbered copy to download.
Skip the cover page, or start from another number
Many universities and offices ask for numbers in a set place, often bottom centre or bottom right. Check the guidelines for your thesis or tender before you choose.
Tick Leave the first page without a number when your PDF has a title page. Counting then starts on page 2, using your start number. So a report with a cover can begin with 1 on its first real page.
The start number is useful when your file continues another one. If part one ended on page 40, start part two at 41. You can also number only some pages, like 2-10, and leave annexes without numbers.
Who needs PDF page numbering
- Students submitting a thesis, project report or assignment that must have numbered pages.
- Applicants putting together a document file for a scholarship, visa or job, where the checklist refers to page numbers.
- Offices sending tenders, proposals and contracts that people discuss page by page.
- Teachers sharing notes or past papers that students will print.
- Anyone who merged several PDFs and now wants one running count.
Numbered pages matter most when someone else has to find their way around your file. An interviewer can say look at page 7, and a supervisor can mark corrections by page. Printed pages that get dropped can be put back in order in seconds.
In a thesis, the front pages like the title, declaration and contents often stay unnumbered. Number only the main chapters by typing their page range, and set the start number to 1.
Tips for good-looking page numbers
- Bottom centre is the most common choice and rarely covers any text.
- Page 1 of 12 helps the reader see if a page is missing from a printout.
- If your pages have a footer already, put the numbers at the top instead.
- Landscape and rotated pages are handled, so the numbers still read upright.
- Merge your files first, then insert page numbers in the PDF once, so the count runs across all of them.
With Page 1 of 12, the total counts only the pages you chose to number, so it matches what the reader sees.
Numbers are added on your device
The PDF is edited in your browser and never uploaded. No logo or watermark is added, and the rest of each page stays exactly as it was. When it is done, you see how many pages were numbered, so you can check nothing was missed.