How to add page numbers to a PDF
· 5 minute read
Number the pages of a PDF you did not write: choose the corner, continue from a previous file, and know when you want Bates numbers or a header instead.
A document without page numbers is hard to talk about. "On the page with the table" is not an address; "page 14" is. When you wrote the document in a word processor, numbering is a checkbox. When all you have is the finished PDF, because it came from a scanner or a colleague or a system that has since gone away, the checkbox does not exist.
What adding a number actually does
A PDF page is a fixed arrangement of text and graphics. Adding a page number means drawing a small piece of text onto each page, at a chosen position. It does not change anything else, which is why it is safe to do to a finished document: the content and the layout stay as they were.
Choosing a corner
- Bottom centre is the convention for reports and most documents.
- Bottom right suits documents that will be printed on both sides, since the number then always lands on the outer edge.
- Top right is common in legal and academic writing.
- Check the corner you choose first. Many documents already have a footer or a stamp, and a number placed on top of it is hard to read.
Starting from a number other than one
If your PDF is the second half of a longer document, it should not start at 1. A start number lets you continue the sequence: a file that begins at page 41 starts numbering at 41. It is also how you handle a document with a cover that should not count: split the cover off, then number the rest from 1.
Number once, after the last change
The order of operations matters. If you are going to merge several files, merge them first and number afterwards, so the sequence runs without a restart. If you are going to add or remove pages, do that first. Numbers added early become wrong the moment a page is inserted. A document that is edited after numbering ends up with a gap, and a reader notices a gap immediately.
When page numbers are not enough
There are three situations where a plain number is the wrong tool:
- You want "Page 3 of 18" or a document title beside the number. That is a header or footer, and Header & footer supports placeholders for the page number and the total.
- You are preparing documents for a legal production, where every page needs a unique, fixed-width identifier with a prefix. That is Bates numbering, and we explain it in what Bates numbering is.
- You need to number only some of the pages. Split off the pages you do not want counted first.
Tools mentioned
- Page numbers — Numbering across the document, in the corner you pick.
- Header & footer — A line of your own along the top or the foot of every page.
- Bates numbering — A prefix and a fixed-width number on every page, for a bundle.
- Merge PDF — Several files, one document, in the order you put them in.