Add Page Numbers
Number a PDF properly — position, starting number, and the cover pages you want left alone. You can see exactly where the number lands before you save.
Runs on your device — documents are never uploadedDrop your PDF here
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PDF · any number of pages
Bottom centre is the safe default — it survives being printed, stapled and hole-punched.
“1 of 20” tells a reader whether anything is missing from a printout.
Skip the cover and the contents page, and start counting from wherever the body begins.
Numbers are drawn on top of the existing pages, so saving is quick even on a long document. Rendering the preview pages is the slow part.
How it works
Three steps, no account, and the document never leaves your computer.
Drop the PDF in
The first page appears as a preview. Step through the pages to check the number sits somewhere sensible on all of them.
Set it up
Pick a corner, a style, where the count starts, and how many front pages to leave alone. The preview follows every change.
Save
Numbers are drawn onto the pages. Everything underneath is exactly as it was.
When a document needs numbers
A contract or submission that requires them
Courts, tenders and many institutions insist on numbered pages so that everyone can refer to the same place.
Something assembled from several files
Merged documents lose whatever numbering the parts had, or worse, keep several conflicting sets of it.
A printout that will be handled
Anything stapled, hole-punched or passed around a table needs numbers, or the first person to drop it will reorder it permanently.
A report where the cover should not count
Numbering that starts at the introduction rather than the title page is the normal convention, and the thing most tools cannot do.
Numbering a PDF the way documents are actually numbered
Adding numbers to a PDF sounds like it needs one button. It needs three settings, and the reason is that real documents almost never start counting on page one.
The cover page problem
A report has a title page. A submission has a cover sheet. A contract has a signature page at the front. Numbering these is wrong by convention — the title page is not "page 1", it is the title page — and every publisher, court and style guide agrees on that.
What you usually want is: skip the first page or two, and have the first numbered page show 1. That needs two independent controls, which is why they are separate here. Skip first decides which pages get no number at all. Start at decides what the first numbered page says.
Two settings, several genuinely different results:
| Skip first | Start at | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1 | Every page numbered, straightforwardly |
| 1 | 1 | Cover left bare, the page after it is “1” |
| 2 | 1 | Cover and contents bare, the body starts at “1” |
| 0 | 47 | A section that continues from an earlier document |
Where to put it
Bottom centre is the default because it survives everything. It is clear of the staple, clear of a hole punch, clear of a binding margin, and clear of headers. In a document that might be printed, it is very hard to beat.
Bottom outer corner — right on odd pages, left on even — is what books use, because it is what your thumb reveals when flipping. Single-sided documents cannot do that alternation, so bottom right is the usual substitute.
Top positions belong in documents with running headers, or where the bottom of the page is already occupied. Just check a page or two in the preview first: top right is exactly where letterheads and logos live.
Why "1 of 20" earns its extra characters
A bare number tells a reader where they are. "1 of 20" also tells them whether anything is missing.
For anything that will be printed, faxed, scanned or handed across a table, that is genuinely useful — it is how a recipient notices that page 14 never came out of the printer. For a document that lives on screen and is scrolled rather than handled, it is noise. The rule is simply whether the pages can become physically separated.
Numbers are drawn, not baked in
The numbers are added as a small piece of text on top of each page. What is underneath is not modified, re-rendered or re-compressed, so:
- Your text stays selectable and searchable
- Images keep exactly the quality they had
- The file grows by a negligible amount
- The numbers themselves are real text, so they are searchable too
Worth knowing: these are stamped numbers, not a live field. Adding a page later will not renumber anything — the numbers say what they said when they were drawn. For a document still being edited, number it last.
Nothing is uploaded
The document is read, previewed and rewritten in your browser. There is no server, so no account, no page limit and no watermark. Given that the documents needing numbers are usually contracts, submissions and reports, that seems the right arrangement.
Common questions
Can I leave the cover page unnumbered?
Yes, and that is what “skip first” is for. Set it to 1 to leave the cover bare, or 2 for a cover and a contents page. Combine it with “start at” to decide what the first numbered page says — skip 2, start at 1 gives you an unnumbered cover and contents, then a body beginning at 1.
Where should the number go?
Bottom centre unless you have a reason otherwise — it stays clear of staples, hole punches and binding margins. Bottom right is the usual choice for single-sided documents that imitate a book. Check the preview before using a top position, since that is where letterheads live.
Does adding numbers reduce quality or make the file bigger?
No. The numbers are drawn on top as a small piece of text. The page content underneath is untouched, so images keep their quality, text stays selectable, and the file grows by a negligible amount.
Will the numbers update if I add a page later?
No. These are stamped onto the pages, not a live field, so they say what they said when they were drawn. If a document is still being edited, number it as the last step.
Can I start at a number other than 1?
Yes. Set “start at” to whatever you need — useful when a document continues from an earlier one, or when a section has to align with numbering from elsewhere.
Is my document uploaded?
No. It is read, previewed and rewritten entirely in your browser using your own processor. Nothing is transmitted, which is why there is no account and no watermark.
What does “1 of 20” give me?
It tells a reader whether anything is missing. For anything printed, faxed or handed around, that is how somebody notices page 14 never came out of the printer. For a document only ever scrolled on screen, a plain number is cleaner.
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Every one of them runs on your device. No uploads, no accounts.