Add Page Numbers to PDF - Frequently Asked Questions

The Add Page Numbers tool numbers the pages of a PDF. You choose where the numbers go, how they look and which page numbering starts on, and you can preview the result before downloading.

There are six positions: top-left, top-center, top-right, bottom-left, bottom-center and bottom-right. Bottom-center suits most documents, and bottom-right is common for books and academic papers. Numbers are placed inside a small margin from the page edge, so check that they do not overlap existing text in your margins.

• 1, 2, 3: plain numbers.
• Page 1, Page 2: numbers with a label.
• Page 1 of 10: shows the total, which is ideal for contracts and forms where readers need to know they have every page.

Yes. Set Start from page. Pages before it get no number. Numbers keep their real position in the document, so if you start from page 3, the first number shown is 3.

Numbers use Helvetica, a clean font that is easy to read at any size. You can set the size from 6 pt to 72 pt. Most documents look best at 10–12 pt.

No. The numbers are added on top of each page. Your text, images and layout are not changed, and page sizes and orientations are kept.

Yes. "Process locally (no upload)" is switched on by default. The numbers are added in your browser and your PDF never leaves your device. For very large files, or on an older device, switch it off. The file is then processed on our server and deleted automatically afterwards.

The numbers become part of the downloaded PDF. To change them, start again from your original PDF with different settings.

Yes. It works in modern browsers on Android phones, iPhones and tablets, including the preview.

In local mode, which is the default, your PDF never leaves your device. In server mode, it is kept only temporarily to add the numbers and is then deleted automatically. We never sell or share your documents.