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Add page numbers to a PDF, free

Number the pages of a PDF in any corner, as 1, 2, 3 · Page 1 of 12 · i, ii, iii, starting from any number and skipping the cover if you like. The numbers are real text, added in your browser — no watermark, nothing uploaded.

Settings appear once you add a PDF.

Leave the first page unnumbered For a cover or title page. Numbering then starts on page 2.
Advanced 7

For a chapter that continues from page 41, type 41.

Size
Distance from the edge
Typeface
Mirror on facing pages Odd pages use the corner you chose, even pages the opposite one — like a printed book.

Done on your device No upload, no queue, no sign-up.

Bytes sent anywhere: 0 B

How to add page numbers to a PDF

Your PDF goes into this browser tab, is numbered page by page on your device, and comes back as a numbered PDF. 0 bytes uploaded

  1. Add your PDFs

    Drop the PDF — or several, and each is numbered from its own first page.

  2. Check the settings

    Pick where the number goes and how it reads. Leave the cover unnumbered, or start from 41 for a chapter that continues a longer document.

  3. Save the result

    Save. The numbers are written into the pages as real text, so they print, search and survive every viewer.

Why it doesn’t upload

Documents that need page numbers are the ones going somewhere formal — a thesis, a court bundle, a tender, a manuscript. They are numbered here, in your browser tab, and never sit on another company’s server waiting to be deleted.

Check it in your browser’s Network tab

Worth knowing

  • Numbers are drawn on top of the page. If a page already has something printed in that spot — an old number, a footer — pick another position, or white it out first with Edit PDF.
  • Roman numerals are lowercase (i, ii, iii), the way front matter is usually numbered.
  • “Page 1 of 12” counts only the pages being numbered, so skipping the cover makes a 13-page file read 1 of 12.
  • A PDF that asks for a password when it opens has to be unlocked first, since numbering rewrites the file.
  • For legal productions numbered across many files, with a prefix like ABC000123, you need Bates numbering, which this tool does not do.

Under the hood

What happens to your file

Each number is drawn onto its page with pdf-lib as real text. Positions are worked out on the page as it is displayed, so a page stored sideways with a /Rotate entry still gets its number at the visual bottom, reading the right way up. Plain Latin numbers use a standard PDF font that is not embedded; nothing else in the file is changed.

Runs on pdf-lib

Reference: pdf-lib documentation · ISO 32000-2 (PDF 2.0)

Questions

How do I add page numbers to a PDF without Acrobat?

Drop the PDF here, choose Bottom center (or any corner) and a style, and press Add page numbers. The numbers are written into the file itself, so they appear in every viewer and print on paper — no Acrobat, no account and no watermark.

Can I start page numbering on page 2 or 3?

Yes. Switch on Leave the first page unnumbered to skip a cover. To skip more, open Advanced and type the pages to number, like 3-40; set First number to 1 if the third page should read “1”.

Can I continue numbering from another document?

Set First number under Advanced to where the last file ended. Chapter two of a thesis that finished chapter one on page 40 starts at 41.

Will the page numbers be selectable text?

Yes. They are real text, not a picture, so they can be searched and copied and stay sharp at any zoom.

What about sideways (landscape) pages?

Each page is numbered the way it is shown on screen. A landscape page in a portrait document gets its number at the bottom of the landscape view, reading the right way up.

Can I number several PDFs at once?

Yes. Drop them together; each is numbered from its own first page with the same settings, and you can save them one by one or all as a ZIP.

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