How to add page numbers to a PDF — and get them right

Page numbers are easy to forget until someone says “see page 14” and there is no page 14 to find. They matter most in exactly the documents that tend to be assembled from several files at the last minute: reports, application packs, court bundles, theses and manuals.

Do it last

Page numbers are printed onto the pages. If you add them and then merge in another document, delete a page or move one, the numbers no longer match the positions. So assemble the document first, in this order:

1. Combine the files with Merge PDF.
2. Remove pages you do not need and put the rest in their final order.
3. Add the page numbers.
4. Add bookmarks for navigation, with the PDF Bookmarks Editor.

Add page numbers step by step

1. Open Add Page Numbers to PDF and add the file.
2. Choose the position — a corner, or the centre of the top or bottom edge.
3. Choose the format, such as a plain number or “Page 1 of 10”.
4. Set the first number, and choose whether to skip the cover page.
5. Press Add page numbers, check the preview, then download.

The numbers are written as real text, so they stay sharp when zoomed, can be searched, and add only a few kilobytes. Nothing else on the page is changed.

Where to put them

• Bottom centre is the safest choice for most documents. It suits single-sided and double-sided printing equally, because the number is in the same place whichever way the sheet is turned.
• Bottom right is common for single-sided reports read on screen.
• Top corners suit documents people flip through to find a page, such as reference manuals.

Look at a page with content near the edge before choosing. The number is drawn on top of the page, so if a document already has a footer, put the number somewhere else or move it further from the edge.

Which format?

A plain number is enough for most documents. “Page 1 of 10” is better for anything that will be printed and handled as loose sheets — contracts, forms, exam papers — because a reader can tell at a glance whether a page is missing.

Covers and front matter

A cover page is normally left unnumbered. Choose the option to skip the first page, and numbering starts on page 2 with whatever first number you set — usually 1, so the first page after the cover is page 1.

For longer front matter, such as a title page, a contents page and a summary, number only the range of pages that make up the main text. The “of N” total then counts only the numbered pages, so it agrees with what the reader sees.

Continuing from another document

When a document is sent in parts — volume 1 and volume 2, or an appendix sent separately — set the first number of the second part to carry on from the first. If part one ends on page 48, start part two at 49.

Rotated and scanned pages

Landscape pages and scans are often stored upright with an instruction to rotate them on screen. The tool reads each page's rotation, so a number placed at the bottom centre appears at the bottom centre of the page as you see it, reading the right way up. On scans with dark edges, move the number further in or change its colour so it stays readable.

More than a number

When you want wording around the number — a document title, a reference, a date — use Add Header and Footer to PDF instead. Type the text you want and include {page} and {total} where the numbers should go, for example “Annual report — page {page} of {total}”. Use one tool or the other on a given document, not both, or you will end up with two numbers on each page.

Page numbers and the reader's page counter

A PDF reader counts pages from the first page of the file, whatever is printed on them. If your document has an unnumbered cover, the page printed “1” is page 2 in the reader's counter. That is normal, but worth remembering when you tell someone to go to a page — or when you type page ranges into other PDF tools, which use the reader's count.