Add Page Numbers

Stamp page numbers on a PDF — your format, position and starting number.

Runs in your browser. Nothing is uploaded — your input is processed on this device and discarded when you close the tab.

Your file

Drop a PDF here or click to browse. One file at a time, up to 50 MB. Everything is processed on this device only — no file is uploaded.

Number format Page N of M — e.g. Page 2 of 3 N — number only, e.g. 2 Page N — e.g. Page 2 N of M — e.g. 2 of 3

Position Bottom left Bottom centre Bottom right Top left Top centre Top right

Margin from the page edge (points)

72 points make an inch, so 36 points is a half-inch margin.

Font size (points, 8–24)

Start counting at

The number printed on the first page of the document. Counting follows physical pages.

Skip the first page (for example a cover page)

Page range (optional)

Comma-separated pages and ranges numbered from 1, for example 1-3,5. Blank means the whole document.

Add page numbers

Reports, contracts, coursework and printed handouts are all easier to navigate — and much harder to muddle — when every page carries its number. This tool stamps a running page number onto a PDF you already have: you choose the wording, the corner or edge it sits in, the size, and where counting starts. It is built for anyone who has been handed an unnumbered document minutes before it needs to be printed, filed or sent, and who does not want to install desktop software or hand the file to a stranger's server to fix something this small.

Everything happens in your browser. The file is read from your device, the numbers are drawn in the tab, and the finished PDF is handed straight back as a download. Nothing is uploaded, so the tool is safe to use on documents you would not send to an upload-based service, and it works the same with the network disconnected once the page has loaded.

How to use Add Page Numbers

1. Load the document that needs numbering. Bring it in by dragging it onto the workspace, or click and choose it from your folders. The job takes a single document, capped at 50 MB, and its length is counted for you straight away — handy, because the "of M" formats depend on knowing it — while any file that turns out damaged or locked is flagged before you spend time on settings.
2. Pick a number format. Choose the bare number ("2"), "Page N" ("Page 2"), "N of M" ("2 of 3"), or the full "Page N of M" ("Page 2 of 3"). The M in the "of" formats is always the document's own page count.
3. Choose a position. Six presets cover the bottom and top of the page at the left, centre or right. Bottom centre is the conventional choice for reports; top right suits documents that will be hole-punched or bound on the left.
4. Set the margin and font size. The margin is measured in points from the page edge (72 points = 1 inch, so the default 36 is a half inch). Font size runs from 8 to 24 points in the standard Helvetica typeface, drawn in dark grey.
5. Decide where counting starts. "Start counting at" sets the number printed on the first page of the document. Leave it at 1 for most documents; raise it when this file continues a longer work whose earlier pages live in another file.
6. Optionally skip the first page or restrict the range. Tick "Skip the first page" for a cover page, and use the page range box (for example 2-9) when only part of the document should be numbered at all.
7. Add the numbers and check the download. The status line tells you how many of the pages were stamped. Open the result and glance at the first and last numbered pages before you share it.

Features

• Four label formats: the bare number, "Page N", "N of M" and "Page N of M".
• Six positions: bottom or top, at the left, centre or right of the page.
• Adjustable margin in points and font size from 8 to 24 points.
• A "Start counting at" offset, so a document can begin at any number — including 0, which combined with skip-first numbers the second page as 1.
• A skip-first-page option for covers and title pages.
• An optional page range, so a section inside a longer document can be numbered on its own.
• Each page is positioned from its own crop box, so mixed page sizes in one document are each handled correctly.
• Processing runs entirely in the browser with the pdf-lib library; the original file on your device is never changed.

Worked example

Take a three-page A4 document (595 × 842 points) whose pages follow a four-page introduction that lives in a separate file. Set the format to "Page N of M", the position to bottom centre, the margin to 36 points, the font size to 11, and "Start counting at" to 5. The stamps read Page 5 of 3, Page 6 of 3 and Page 7 of 3: the counter starts at 5 because you told it to, while the total after "of" stays 3 because that is how many pages this document actually has. Each baseline sits exactly 36 points above the bottom edge of its page, centred on the label's own width. The automated tests for this tool run precisely this job and extract those three labels from pages 1, 2 and 3 of the result, in that order — and confirm that with "skip the first page" ticked instead, page 1 carries no stamp at all while pages 2 and 3 read 8 and 9 when counting starts at 7.

Common errors and limitations

• Numbers are drawn in one standard typeface (Helvetica) in dark grey. There is no font choice, colour picker or bold option — the aim is a clean, conventional stamp, not typesetting.
• One numbering scheme applies per run. A document that needs Roman numerals for its front matter and Arabic numerals for the body needs two runs: number each part as its own file with the range and start options, or number the parts before merging them.
• The stamp is added on top of the page. If a page already has a footer where the number will sit, the two will overlap — pick a different position or a larger margin rather than expecting the tool to move existing content.
• Existing page numbers in the document are not detected or removed; the tool adds yours alongside them.
• A locked document cannot be numbered at all, because the library refuses to open it. Clear the protection inside whatever software produced the file, and then bring that cleared version here.
• Size is capped at 50 MB, and documents are numbered singly — a necessary consequence of the whole operation living in the memory of one browser tab.

• The numbers collide with a printed footer. The stamp does not know your document already uses the bottom centre. Fix: choose a top position, or increase the margin so the number sits clear of the existing text.
• Page 2 shows the "wrong" number after skipping the cover. Counting follows physical pages on purpose: with counting starting at 1 and the first page skipped, page 2 prints 2. Fix: set "Start counting at" to 0 together with skip-first, and page 2 prints 1.
• The total looks wrong in "N of M". "Page 6 of 3" is not a bug — the first number is the running counter (which you offset), the second is the real page count of this file. Fix: if you want the two to agree, keep the start value at 1, or use the "Page N" format, which prints no total.
• Numbers are missing on some pages. A page range was probably left over from a previous job, or the range names pages the document does not have (the tool refuses those rather than guessing). Fix: clear the range box for whole-document numbering.

Frequently asked questions

Related PDF tools

Prefer everything on one page? The original PDF Toolkit merges, splits and rearranges with one shared file list. The full suite is indexed on the PDF Tools hub.

How it works

Open a single PDF in your browser and the tool counts its pages for you, which matters because the "of M" formats need the document's own total. Choose one of four label formats: the bare number, "Page N", "N of M", or "Page N of M". Then pick one of six positions — top or bottom, at the left, centre, or right of the page — and set the margin in points from the page edge, plus a font size between 8 and 24 points. If the file continues a longer work, use "Start counting at" so the first page carries a higher number than 1. You can also skip the first page, useful for a cover, or restrict stamping to a page range such as 2–9. Everything runs in your browser, so the file never leaves your device, and the original on your device is left unchanged; you download a new stamped copy.

Another worked example

Alex Carter, a fictional student, has a six-page project guide with a cover page. Alex opens the guide, chooses "Page N of M", bottom centre, and ticks "Skip the first page". Input: a six-page PDF, cover first, no numbers yet. Result: the cover carries no stamp, and pages two to six read "Page 2 of 6", "Page 3 of 6", "Page 4 of 6", "Page 5 of 6", and "Page 6 of 6". Alex checks the first and last stamped pages before sharing the file, and keeps the unstamped original as a backup.

More limitations to know

Numbers are drawn in a single standard typeface, Helvetica, in dark grey, with no font, colour, or bold choice. One numbering scheme applies per run: a document needing Roman numerals for front matter and Arabic numerals for the body needs separate runs or pre-numbered parts. The stamp sits on top of the page, so it can overlap an existing footer if you pick the same spot — choose a different position or a larger margin instead. Damaged or locked files are flagged rather than processed, and the tool handles one document per run, capped at 50 MB.

More frequently asked questions

Does stamping change my original file?

No. The original stays as it was on your device; you download a separate stamped copy.

Can I use Roman numerals for the front pages and ordinary numbers for the rest?

Not in a single run. Number each part separately, using the start-count and range options, or number the parts before combining them.

What if the number lands on top of an existing footer?

Pick another of the six positions or increase the margin so the stamp sits clear of the footer text.

What happens with a locked PDF?

It is flagged before you spend time on settings, so you can bring an unlocked copy from the program that created it.

Related articles