Add Page Numbers to PDF

Runs in browser PDF Editing & Annotation

Choose a preset or write your own template with {n}, {total} and {file}, set the position, font size, colour and margin, pick the pages to number and the first number, and download.

Privacy: Processed locally in your browser. Your file is not uploaded.

How are watermarks, page numbers and page sizes changed in a PDF?

A watermark, header, footer or page number is content drawn onto each page — text or an image appended to the page's content stream, or added as a stamp annotation — so it becomes part of the page like the original text, printed and copied with it. Page size and margins are separate: ISO 32000 defines them through the MediaBox and CropBox rectangles, so resizing a page or adding a margin changes those boxes and scales or offsets the existing content rather than redrawing it.

Read the guide: How to Edit a PDF Without Uploading It

How to use Add Page Numbers to PDF

  1. Drop a PDF.
  2. Pick a format and position.
  3. Set the first number and pages if needed.
  4. Click "Add page numbers" and download.

Add Page Numbers to PDF features

  • Presets or custom template with {n}, {total}, {pages}, {file}
  • Nine positions, font size, colour, margin, bold
  • Start at any number
  • Number only selected pages
  • Real, searchable text
  • Local processing

Add Page Numbers to PDF example

Number from page 3 onwards, starting at 1

Input:

thesis.pdf, 42 pages — format: Page {n} of {total}, pages: 3-, start at: 1

Output:

thesis-numbered.pdf — pages 3–42 carry "Page 1 of 40" … "Page 40 of 40"
Numbering pages 3- from 1: file page 3 prints “Page 1 of 40”, page 42 “Page 40 of 40”, because {total} counts only the numbered pages.

Pages: 3- · Start at: 1

Page in the file

1 2 3 4 … 41 42

{n}: the number printed

— — 1 2 … 39 40

{total}: numbered pages

— 40

{pages}: pages in the file

42

The example: thesis.pdf, 42 pages, format “Page {n} of {total}”. The first 2 pages are not numbered (—); … stands for pages 5 to 40. The {total} and {pages} bars span the pages each counts.

Frequently asked questions about Add Page Numbers to PDF

Can numbering start at a number other than 1?

Yes. Set "Start at" to any value — useful when a cover page is excluded or a document continues another volume.

Can I skip the cover page?

Select the pages to number on the grid or type "2-" to number from page 2 to the end. {total} then counts only the numbered pages (in a 40-page file numbered with "2-", {total} is 39); use {pages} for the page count of the whole file.

Is the number searchable text?

Yes. Numbers are real text drawn with an embedded font, so they can be found, selected and read by screen readers.

Is my PDF uploaded to a server?

No. The file is opened and processed by your browser with WebAssembly and JavaScript; nothing is sent to Mutqan Soft or anyone else. Close the tab and the file is gone. Downloading the result needs a free account — no subscription, no payment.

Can I use it on a password-protected PDF?

Yes, if you know the password: the file list asks for it once and every operation then works on the decrypted pages. The output is saved without a password unless you protect it again.

Technical notes

Numbers are drawn as text with an embedded subset font at the anchor computed from the page’s visual box, so rotated pages are numbered upright. {total} is the number of selected (numbered) pages and {pages} the page count of the whole document; {n} counts from the start value over the selected pages.

References