How to number the pages of a PDF
Quick answer
Upload your PDF, pick a number format and position, set where numbering starts, then download.
- 1Upload your PDF.
- 2Pick a format.
- 3Set the position and start number.
- 4Choose the pages and apply.
Free, no sign-up, and your file is read on your own device rather than uploaded.
Page numbers are one of those small details that matter a lot when a document is printed or referenced - a report someone might cite by page, a thesis with formatting requirements, or a contract where a missing page should be obvious.
This adds them directly to the PDF, with control over position, format and starting number - including the common case of skipping a cover page so the first page of actual content is numbered "1".
Step by step
Set the position and start number
Six position options, and any starting number - including skipping a cover page.
Add Page NumbersChoose which pages, then apply
Every page, or a specific range, then download the numbered PDF.
Add Page Numbers
Tips
- To skip a cover page so the second sheet reads "page 1" - how printed documents are usually numbered - set the starting number and skip option accordingly rather than numbering from the very first page.
- "Page X of Y" is useful for anything that might be printed loose-leaf, since it tells the reader immediately if a page is missing.
- If the document also needs a watermark or a signature, handle those in the same visit before downloading the final version.
Common problems
The cover page got numbered "1" and you wanted the content to start at 1.
Use the skip-cover option and set the starting number so numbering begins on the first page of actual content, not the cover.
Numbers landed in an awkward spot, overlapping content.
Try a different one of the six position options - most documents have a corner or footer area clear enough for numbers not to overlap anything.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I start numbering from something other than 1?
- Yes - set any starting number, which is useful when this document continues numbering from a previous one.
- Can I skip the cover page when numbering?
- Yes - this is exactly how most printed documents are numbered, so that the second sheet reads "page 1" rather than the cover.
- What position options are there?
- Six common positions - typically the corners and centre of the header or footer - so you can match whatever style the document needs.
- Can I use "Page X of Y" format?
- Yes, alongside plain numbering and other common formats.
- Is my PDF uploaded to a server?
- No. Numbering happens entirely on your own device.
Doing several things to this PDF?
"Editing a PDF" is usually one of five different jobs. Open the file once and you can do all of them in sequence - reorder the pages, mark it, number it, sign it and shrink it - then download once at the end.
How to edit a PDF without AcrobatRelated PDF tools
- Watermark PDFStamp text across the pages, at the size and angle you choose.
- Sign PDFDraw or type a signature and place it on a page.
- Organise PDFReorder, rotate, duplicate and delete pages on a visual board of thumbnails.
Related articles
- Edit & Sign
How to stamp DRAFT or CONFIDENTIAL across a PDF
Upload your PDF, type the watermark text, set its size, angle and opacity, choose which pages, then download.
- Edit & Sign
Sign a PDF without printing it
Open your PDF in the signer, draw or type your signature, click where it goes on the page, and download the signed file.
- Organize
PDF pages in the wrong order? Here's the fix
Open your PDF in the page organiser, drag pages into the order you want on the visual board, then apply and download.