How to add page numbers to a PDF

Numbering a PDF takes about a minute once you have decided two things: where the numbers go, and what number the first page is. Most of the annoyance people have with page numbers is those two decisions, made by accident.

Last reviewed October 2026. If a page like this is ever rewritten, the date moves with it.

Decide what page one is

The first decision is not cosmetic. If the document has a cover sheet, a title page or a blank first page, then numbering it as page one makes every number in the document disagree with every number people use when they talk about it. The fix is to number the cover as well and accept that the first real page is 2, or to start the numbering at 0 so that the cover carries 0 and the first real page carries 1.

This matters more than it sounds. Page numbers exist so that two people can refer to the same place — "see the table on page 14" — and a document numbered from the wrong starting point produces a conversation where nobody is looking at the same page.

Put them where they will not fight the content

Bottom centre is the safest place, because that is where a reader's eye already goes and where almost nothing else lives. Bottom right is the second choice and reads well in documents with a wide left margin. The corners at the top are usually busy with headers, logos and document titles.

Keep the size and colour close to the document's own body text. A number set larger than the text, or in a strong colour, stops being furniture and becomes a feature — it is the first thing the eye lands on, on every page. And if the document already has a footer number, adding a second one is worse than leaving the first alone.

The format, briefly

A plain number is the most robust: it survives pages being added, and it does not draw attention to how long the document is. The "n of total" form tells a reader at a glance where they are in a long document, which helps in a report and hurts in a draft, because the moment a page is inserted the totals are wrong on every page.

If the document is still moving, use plain numbers. If it is final and long, the totals form earns its place.

Questions

Will my original PDF be changed?

No. Your file is only read. What you download is a new file, and the original on your disk is exactly as it was.

Do I have to upload the PDF anywhere?

No. The page numbers are drawn onto the document inside your browser, so the file never leaves your device.

Can I add numbers to a scanned PDF?

Yes. Nothing has to be read out of the page for a number to be drawn onto it.

What if the document is already numbered?

Then adding another set will clash. Numbering is worth doing on documents that have none.

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