Add Page Numbers to PDF — Header or Footer, Any Start Number

Stamp page numbers onto a PDF in any of six header or footer positions, with Arabic or Roman formats and a custom start.

A merged report, a scanned bundle or a thesis draft usually arrives without pagination, and adding it should not mean rebuilding the document. Pick a corner, a wording and a starting value, watch the whole document update in the preview, and save a copy with numbers drawn onto the pages you chose.

How to add page numbers to a PDF

  1. Drop one PDF onto the upload zone, or click it to choose a file; its page count appears under the file name once it loads.
  2. Under Place in, pick Header (top) or Footer (bottom), then set Align to left, center or right; a centered footer is the default.
  3. Choose a Format — 1, Page 1, Page 1 of N, - 1 - or i, ii, iii — and a font size between 5 and 72 pt.
  4. Type all, or a list such as 2-20, in the Pages field, and set Start at to the number the first stamped page should show.
  5. Page through the preview to check every sheet, then click Export numbered PDF and Download.

Six positions, five wordings

Numbers can sit in the header or the footer, aligned left, centre or right — the six placements that cover nearly every house style. The wording selector offers a bare figure, Page 1, Page 1 of N, a dashed figure, and lowercase Roman numerals for front matter.

Roman numbering exists because it is the one convention a report's opening pages almost always use, and a pagination tool that cannot produce it cannot produce the layout most printed documents follow. Values outside the range Roman numerals can express fall back to ordinary digits rather than emitting nonsense.

Numbering a subset of the pages

The Pages field takes the word all, or a list such as 1-5,8 mixing individual pages and ranges freely. Leaving a cover sheet and a contents page unnumbered while the body carries numbers is the ordinary case, and it needs nothing more than naming the range that should be stamped.

When a subset is selected, the numbering counts within that subset: pages five through eight with a start value of one read one, two, three, four. A total placeholder likewise reports the number of stamped pages, so Page 1 of 4 says what it appears to say.

Preview the whole document, not just the first page

The preview panel under the numbering controls renders every page of the stamped result and refreshes whenever a control changes. A first-page-only preview cannot show that the sequence actually advances or that the corner you chose is clear of existing content further in, which is exactly what needs checking.

Drawing happens through the same on-device library the rest of this site's PDF tools use, so the original file is never uploaded and the saved copy is produced entirely by your own browser.

Questions people ask about PDF Page Numbers

How do I skip the cover page when numbering?
Enter a range that starts at page two, for example 2-20 for a twenty-page file. The cover stays blank and the second sheet reads 1, because counting happens inside the selected pages; set Start at to 2 instead if you want that sheet to read 2.
Can I add page numbers to several PDFs at once?
No, the tool numbers one PDF per run, and loading another file replaces the first. If the documents belong together, combine them into a single file before numbering; otherwise repeat the load-and-export steps for each one.
How do I merge PDFs and then number the pages?
Open PDF Merge, add the files, put the pages in order and download the combined document. Then load that file here and number it as one continuous PDF, so a Page 1 of N label counts across everything you merged.
Can I change the font size or color of page numbers?
Font size, yes: any value from 5 to 72 points. Colour and typeface are fixed, with numbers drawn in dark grey Helvetica, which reads clearly on light pages but can't be matched to a brand colour or font.
Can the number land on top of existing text?
Yes, because it is drawn over the page rather than reflowing it. That is why the preview shows every page — check the chosen corner against your actual content, and move to a different placement or a smaller point size if something collides.
Why would I set a start value other than one?
Continuing the sequence across a document that was split into parts is the usual reason: the second part starts where the first left off. It is also how you number a body section from one after unnumbered front matter.
Does this change anything else about the file?
Page order, existing annotations, form fields and embedded fonts are left as they were, and nothing is flattened or re-compressed. The saved copy does not keep the original's Title, Author, Subject and Keywords properties, so re-enter them with Metadata Editor if they matter to you.
How long a document can I number?
The free tier covers documents up to three hundred pages, which comfortably includes most reports and bundles. Longer files need Pro, and the page count is shown under the file name in the upload zone as soon as the document loads.

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Content reviewed 2026-09-27.