Add Page Numbers to PDF
Number a document properly — position, format, starting value and a clean cover page.
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How to number a PDF
Open the file, pick a corner on the small page diagram, and choose a format. The diagram updates as you change anything, so the position, size and margin can be settled before the document is written rather than after.
Leaving the cover alone
Almost every report has a title page that should not carry a number. First numbered page is where that is handled: set it to 2 and page one is left clean while the rest are numbered. The two settings beside it do different jobs and are worth keeping straight:
- First numbered page is where numbering begins in the document.
- Start counting at is what the first of those pages is called.
So a document whose cover is unnumbered but whose body should read 1, 2, 3 needs first page 2 and start at 1. A chapter continuing from an earlier file needs start at 47, and the numbering runs 47, 48, 49 from wherever you began.
Mirrored margins
A document that will be printed double sided and bound wants its numbers on the outside edge, which means they swap corner on every other page. Tick Mirror on facing pages and a number set to the bottom right lands bottom right on odd pages and bottom left on even ones. Leave it off for anything read on screen.
Formats
| Format | Page three of twenty looks like | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Plain | 3 | Most documents |
| Page n | Page 3 | Reports and letters |
| n of total | 3 of 20 | Anything that will be printed and could go astray |
| Page n of total | Page 3 of 20 | Contracts and submissions |
| Dashes | - 3 - | Books and manuscripts |
| Roman | iii | Front matter, before the body begins at 1 |
The total in the of formats counts the pages actually being numbered, not every page in the file. Skip a cover on a twenty page document and it reads Page 1 of 19, which is what a reader holding nineteen numbered pages expects.
Why the file hardly grows
Helvetica, Times and Courier are the standard PDF typefaces: every reader has them built in, so a document using one carries no font data at all. That is the whole reason those three are offered rather than something more decorative — embedding a font subset would add tens of kilobytes to every file for the sake of a page number.
Rotated pages
The number is placed against the page as it is read rather than as it is stored. On a page saved with a ninety degree rotation the two are not the same, and placing it naively puts the number along what the reader sees as the side. Here the position is worked out in the rotated frame, so a mixed-orientation document numbers consistently.
Questions
Is my PDF uploaded to add page numbers?
No. The numbers are drawn onto the pages inside your browser and the finished file is handed straight back. There is no backend, so no copy of the document is transmitted or stored.
Can I skip the cover page?
Yes. Set the first numbered page to 2 and the cover is left clean. The counter can also start at any value, so a chapter that continues from an earlier file can begin at 47 rather than at 1.
How do I get numbering like Page 3 of 20?
Choose that format from the list. The total is worked out from the document itself, and it counts the pages being numbered rather than every page in the file, so skipping a cover gives Page 1 of 19 rather than of 20.
Does adding numbers make the file much larger?
Barely. The three typefaces offered are the standard PDF fonts, which every reader already has, so nothing is embedded. The growth is a few hundred bytes for the drawing instructions rather than the tens of kilobytes a font would cost.
What happens on a page that is already rotated?
The number is placed to match the page as it is read, not as it is stored, so a page saved at 90° still gets its number along the bottom edge the reader sees. Mixed-orientation documents number correctly throughout.
Will the number cover up existing content?
It is drawn on top of the page, so it can overlap something that already sits in that corner. Move it to another position or increase the margin if the preview shows a clash. The tool never erases anything underneath.
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