What it does
Page numbers adds a number to every page of a PDF, in any of six places. Pick the style (1, Page 1, or Page 1 of N), the number to start from, how many opening pages to skip (a cover page, say) and the text size. Legal and records teams can switch to Bates numbers, which add a prefix and a fixed number of digits, such as ABC-000001.
You can also add header and footer text. Write {date} for today’s date and {file} for the file name. Your file is not uploaded, and the original is never changed; you get a new copy. To put pages in order first, use organise PDF, and to add a DRAFT or Paid mark afterwards, watermark PDF.
How to use it
- Choose your PDF.
- Pick where the number goes and which style you want.
- Set “Start at” and “Skip first pages” if the first pages should not be counted.
- Read the preview line under the form; it shows the first and last label.
- Press Add and download.
What each setting does
- Start at: the number on the first numbered page.
- Skip first pages: leaves these pages blank. Numbering starts on the next page.
- Page 1 of N: N is the last number used, so with a skipped cover it counts only numbered pages.
- Bates numbers: prefix plus a zero-padded number, in the position you chose.
- Header and footer: centred text; if a number sits in the same spot, the text moves in.
Worked example
A 10-page report with a cover page: skip 1, start at 1, style “Page 1 of N”. The cover stays blank, page 2 reads “Page 1 of 9” and the last page reads “Page 9 of 9”.
FAQs
Can I use Arabic or other scripts? Not yet. The text must use Latin letters, numbers and common symbols.
Will the file get bigger? Only by a few hundred bytes per page.
Is the PDF changed in place? No. Your original stays as it was.
Where the numbers come from
- Numbers are drawn with pdf-lib using the standard Helvetica font. Bates numbering follows the common prefix plus zero-padded sequence used in legal discovery.
Standard scientific values, such as constants, atomic weights and melting points, are facts found in every textbook; we name where ours were checked. If you are an author or publisher and want a value, a credit or a table changed or removed, tell us and we will act quickly.
Last updated 2026-11-10.