How to add page numbers to a PDF
Page numbers matter most in the documents that never had them: a contract assembled from three files, a scanned dossier, an appendix bundle. Without them, nobody in the room can say which page they mean.
Add the PDF, pick a position and a format, and download. The numbers are drawn into the margin of every page on your device, and the file is never uploaded.
Add page numbers freeStep by step
- Add the finished PDF
Number last, after merging and after removing anything that is coming out. Numbering a document you then reorder means doing it twice.
- Choose where they go
Bottom centre is the default nobody objects to. Pick a different corner when the document already has a footer, so the two do not collide.
- Choose the format
A bare number, or something like 'Page 3 of 24'. The second is worth the extra width in anything that will be printed and handed round, because it shows at a glance whether a page is missing.
- Download and check page one
Open the result and look at the first and last page. Those are where a clash with existing content shows up.
Number after merging, never before
Numbers are drawn onto pages, not recalculated by the reader. Number two files separately and merge them, and you get a document that runs 1 to 12 and then 1 to 9.
Merge everything first, take out what is not staying, and number once at the end. It is the same work in a different order, and only one of the two orders produces a usable document.
Mind the margin you are drawing into
The numbers land in the margin at the position you choose. A document that already has a footer, a reference line or a scanned page edge will collide with whichever corner you picked.
Look at a page before you commit. Moving the number to the opposite corner takes one more pass and avoids a document where every page has two overlapping things in the same spot.
'Page 3 of 24' is worth the extra characters
A total tells the reader whether the copy in their hands is complete. In a contract, a tender or a court bundle, that is the difference between noticing a missing page and signing without it.
For a document that only ever lives on screen, a plain number is enough — the reader can see the length in the scrollbar.
Frequently asked questions
Can I start numbering at something other than 1?
The format field takes free text around the counters, for example 'Page {n} of {total}'. The count itself starts at the first page of the document.
Will the numbers overlap my content?
They sit in the margin at the position you choose. If your pages already have a footer, pick a different corner and check the result on the first page.
Can I skip the cover page?
Not from this tool, which numbers every page. Either number the document before adding the cover, or add the numbers in the editor where you can place them page by page.