Add page numbers to a PDF
Number the pages of a PDF in a single pass — bottom center, either bottom corner or the top, in the format you need: 1, 1 / 12, Page 1, or Page 1 of 12. It runs in your browser, so the document never leaves your computer and the text inside it stays intact.
Drop your PDF here
The document's text layer is kept intact.
How to add page numbers to a PDF
- Drop the PDF into the window or click “Choose file”.
- Pick the format — 1, 1 / N, Page n, or Page n of N — and where the number sits: bottom center, bottom right, bottom left, top center or top right.
- Click “Number pages” and download the result. Numbering starts at 1 on the first page and runs through to the last.
What universities, courts and tenders expect
Page numbers stop being cosmetic the moment somebody else has to cite your document. University style guides — APA, MLA, Chicago and most departmental thesis handbooks — require continuous pagination through the body of the work, and supervisors routinely bounce files that arrive without it. The common rule is that numbering runs continuously rather than restarting at each chapter, and that the title page is counted but not printed on.
Filings are stricter still. Courts and administrative bodies usually ask for consecutive pagination across an entire submission, exhibits included, so a hearing can proceed on “page 214” without anyone leafing through a binder. Tender and grant packages tend to say the same thing in their instructions, sometimes down to the corner the number must sit in. Where a written rule exists, follow its wording exactly — position, format and starting number — because the clerk who rejects a bundle does not read your reasoning.
Where to put the number, and which format to choose
Bottom center is the safe default and the position nobody objects to. The alternatives each exist for a specific reason:
On format: a bare 1 suits screen reading and academic work. Page 1 of 12 is worth choosing whenever the document will be printed and handed over, because the recipient can tell at a glance that nothing went missing in the stack — which is exactly why contracts, invoices and anything sent by post tend to use it. The number is set in small dark-gray type a short distance in from the edge, clear of a normal A4 or Letter margin; if your layout already has a footer, choose a position on the opposite side and check the first and last page of the download.
- Bottom center — neutral, and the right answer for theses, reports and anything read on screen.
- Bottom right — the convention for printed documents bound on the left, where the number lands under the reader's thumb as pages turn.
- Bottom left — for documents bound on the right, or when a footer already occupies the right-hand corner.
- Top center or top right — used in legal and corporate templates where the footer is reserved for a disclaimer, a file reference or a confidentiality notice.
When the title page must not be numbered
This is the one thing worth planning for, because the tool numbers every page it is given, starting at 1. If your style guide says the cover must stay clean, the workaround takes a minute: split off the title page, number the remaining pages, then merge the cover back on top. Be aware of the offset that creates — the first body page will read 1 even though it is physically the second sheet. Where a guide insists the title page is counted so that the body begins at 2, that shift is not something this tool can set, and a desktop word processor is the honest answer.
Two habits save the usual trouble. First, number the document last: printed numbers are drawn into the page and do not renumber themselves, so if you delete pages or reorder them afterwards, the sequence stops matching reality. Second, keep the un-numbered original, because running the tool twice stamps a second number next to the first rather than replacing it. If the numbered file is circulating for comment rather than for signature, mark it as a draft in the same pass, so that “page 7” and “the draft” refer to the same document.
Frequently asked questions
Is it really free?
Yes — free, no account, no page cap, and nothing of ours is added to the pages. The only thing that appears on your document is the number you asked for.
Are my files uploaded to a server?
No. The PDF is opened and rewritten inside this browser tab, so contracts, theses and case files never leave your machine. Nothing is stored anywhere after you close the page.
Can I remove or change the numbers afterwards?
Not from the numbered file — the digits become part of the page content once saved. Keep the original and re-run it with a different format or position. Running the tool twice on the same file adds a second number instead of replacing the first.
Can I start at a different number or skip the title page?
Not directly: numbering begins at 1 on the first page and covers all of them. To leave a cover unnumbered, split it off, number the rest, and merge the cover back afterwards.
How many pages can it handle?
Hundreds without complaint — the limit is your device's memory, not a server quota. A long manuscript takes a few seconds to process on an ordinary laptop.
Will the numbers be searchable and survive printing?
Yes. Each number is drawn as real text rather than an image, so it can be found by search, and it prints exactly as it appears on screen. The document's own text layer is preserved.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes, in Safari on iPhone and Chrome on Android. Processing happens on the device, so a very large document depends on your available memory rather than on a connection.