Skip to content
ToolsVerse
On your device

Add page numbers

Number pages, with control over where the sequence starts.

  • Browser based
  • No upload
  • Free
  • No sign-up
Report a problem

PDF · Free · No sign-up

Your files stay on your device. Nothing is uploaded.

Instructions

How to add page numbers

Three steps, no account, and nothing to install.

  1. Open the document

    Drop your PDF onto the page. If it was merged from several files, this is typically the point where you can see the numbering is inconsistent or missing.

  2. Choose position and format

    Place the number in any of six positions, and pick a format: a plain number, "Page 3", or "3 of 24". Margins follow the page size so the number sits clear of the content.

  3. Set where numbering starts

    Choose the first page to number and the number it starts at. This is what lets you leave a cover page unnumbered while the following page still reads as page 1.

  4. Apply and save

    Number the document and download it. The numbers are written into the page content, so they print and export exactly as shown.

Overview

About add page numbers

Page numbers matter as soon as a document is discussed rather than just read: a contract referenced by clause and page, a submission with a required format, a bundle that has to be cited in a meeting. Documents assembled from several sources usually arrive with no numbering at all, or with numbering that restarts partway through. This adds one consistent sequence across the whole file.

Capabilities

What it does

  • Starts where you sayFirst page and first number are set separately, so an unnumbered cover is one setting rather than a workaround.
  • Six positions, three formatsPlain numbers, "Page N", or "N of M", placed wherever the document convention requires.
  • Margin-awarePlacement is derived from each page size, so numbers stay clear of the content on mixed-size documents.
  • Prints as shownNumbers are written into the page content, so they survive printing, export and conversion unchanged.

Your files stay with you

Add page numbers runs entirely inside this browser tab. The file you choose is read into your device's memory, processed there, and handed straight back to you — the bytes never cross the network, so there is no upload to intercept, no copy to retain and no retention policy to interpret.

You do not have to take that on trust. Open your browser developer tools, select the Network tab, and use the tool above: no request carries your document.

Answers

Add page numbers: common questions

Can I skip the cover page?
Yes. Set numbering to begin on page 2 and to start at 1, and the cover carries no number while the page after it reads as page 1. This is the most common requirement and the reason the two settings are separate.
What if the document already has printed numbers?
New numbers are added on top; existing ones are part of the page and cannot be detected or removed. Choose a position the old numbers do not occupy, or you will end up with two numbers side by side.
Will the numbers overlap my content?
Margins are calculated from each page size, so numbers sit in the margin area. A page whose content already runs to the very edge may still collide — check the preview if your layout is unusually tight.
Can numbering restart for each section?
Not in a single pass. Split the document into sections, number each one with its own starting value, then merge them back together.
Do the numbers survive printing and conversion?
Yes. They are ordinary page content, so they print, export and convert exactly like the rest of the page.
Nearby

Related tools

All pdf tools

Can’t find the tool you need?

Tell us what is missing. Requests are read by the people who build the tools, and the ones people ask for most are the ones built next.

Request a toolSee what people asked for