PDF Page Numbers

2. How to Add Page Numbers to a PDF in Four Steps

Here is how to add page numbers to a PDF with the tool above, the whole process to add page numbers to PDF online free, with no account and no sign-up.

1. Choose the PDF. Drop one file onto the panel or click to browse.
2. Pick a format and style. Format sets the wording: Page 1 of 10 (the default), 1, 1 / 10, - 1 -, prefix plus number, or Custom. Style sets the numerals: 1, 2, 3; i, ii, iii; I, II, III; A, B, C; or 001, 002.
3. Place it. Horizontal is Centre, Left or Right; Vertical is Bottom or Top, and Top is how to add page numbers to PDF in header position. Margin, font size, one of five standard fonts and a colour finish the look.
4. Set the range and download. Start at, Skip first N pages and Only these pages decide which pages are numbered. Press Add page numbers, check the preview, and download the copy ending in -numbered.pdf.

The same page works to add page numbers to PDF on iPhone or iPad (pick the file from Files, save the download back there). To add page numbers to PDF on Mac without paid PDF software, open this page in Safari or Chrome, choose the file from Finder, and the numbered copy lands in Downloads, with no account or subscription.

3. Page X of Y, Starting From Page 2, and Custom Footer Text

The most asked question is how to add Page X of Y to PDF footers with a correct total. The default format does it, and skipped pages are not counted, so the total is the last number printed, not the length of the file.

That is exactly how to add page numbers to PDF starting from page 2. Set Skip first N pages to 1. The cover gets nothing, the second page reads Page 1 of 11 in a twelve-page file, and the last page reads Page 11 of 11. If you would rather the first body page say 2, set Start at to 2 as well; the total follows, so the last page reads Page 12 of 12.

For PDF footer page numbers custom text is easy: choose Custom and type any wording around these placeholders:

• {n} — the number for this page, in the style you picked.
• {N} — the last number that will be printed, in the same style, so Page i of iv works.
• {p} and {P} — this page’s position within the pages you selected, and how many you selected.
• {prefix} — the Prefix box text, such as A-.

So Confidential – Page {n} of {N} gives a labelled footer. For a large diagonal stamp instead, the PDF watermark tool is the right tool.

4. Roman and Arabic Numbering for a Thesis or Report

Many universities want an unnumbered title page, lower-case roman front matter, and chapters from 1. This is how to add roman numerals page numbers PDF theses need, plus arabic ones in the same file: to add page numbers to thesis PDF roman and arabic, you run the tool twice on one file. Say the title is page 1, front matter is pages 2 to 5 and chapter one starts on page 6.

1. First pass, front matter. Only these pages: 2-5. Style: i, ii, iii. Format: 1 (the bare number). Start at: 1. Download the numbered file.
2. Second pass, the body. Choose the file you just downloaded. Only these pages: 6-9999 (numbers past the last page are ignored). Style: 1, 2, 3. Start at: 1. Download again.

Neither pass selects the title page, so it stays blank.

Numbers follow the pages as they sit in the file, so move a misplaced appendix with the PDF organizer and drop stray blank pages with the page remover first. Writing in Word? Convert with DOCX to PDF before numbering.

5. Bates Numbering PDF Files: Prefixes, Zeros and Exhibits

Bates numbering PDF productions gives every page a unique sequential identifier, usually a party code plus a number. Here is how to Bates stamp a PDF here, a practical route to Bates numbering online free:

1. Choose the format Prefix + number and type your code in Prefix, for example ABC-.
2. Choose the style 001, 002 (padded). That gives Bates numbering with prefix and leading zeros: ABC-001, ABC-002 and so on.
3. Set Horizontal to Right for the usual lower right corner.
4. For a second volume, set Start at to follow on from the first.

Two limits: padding is fixed at three digits, so ABC-000001 is not available, and one file is numbered per run, so a sequence does not continue across PDFs by itself. Combine them first with the PDF merger and number the result once, or run each file with its own Start at value.

To add exhibit numbers to PDF filings, use Custom with Exhibit 4 – Page {n} of {N}. The exhibit name is literal text you type, so run each exhibit file separately with its own label. Be careful with the letters style: it changes on every page (A, B, C), so it suits lettered pages, not one exhibit letter held across a whole file. Check your court’s rules for placement.

6. When PDF Page Numbers Go Wrong, and Which Tool Comes First

• PDF page numbers don’t match. The viewer says page 3, the footer says 1, because a cover and contents come first. That is expected. To make them agree, set Skip to 0 and Start at to 1.
• Page numbers covering text? PDF margin is the fix. Raise the margin, lower the font size, or switch to Top. On dark pages pick a contrasting colour; there is no background box.
• Cannot add page numbers to PDF password protected files. Encrypted files are refused. Remove the password you know with PDF unlock, number the copy, then lock it again with PDF protect if needed.
• Old numbers already printed. They cannot be removed here; black them out with PDF redact first, then number.
• Add page numbers to scanned PDF pages. Works as normal. For searchable text too, run PDF OCR as a separate step.
• Add page numbers to merged PDF files. Merge first, number once, and the sequence runs straight through.
• Add page numbers to PDF specific pages only. Type ranges such as 2-20 or 1,3-5 in Only these pages. Pages outside the range get no number and are not counted in the total.

7. Why Number Your PDF Pages With Cortexis

Most pages offering a PDF page number tool give you position and font, then stop. Here is what this one adds.

See our other free PDF and file tools.

8. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)