Add Page Numbers to PDF
Number PDF pages as “Page 1 of 10”, “1 / 10” or your own pattern, at the top or bottom, left, centre or right. Skip a cover, start at any number, and keep everything else in the file — privately in your browser.
How to add page numbers to a PDF
- Add one or more PDFs. Each row shows the page count and a preview of the first page.
- Pick a Format — plain 1, Page 1, Page 1 of N, 1 / N or your own pattern with
{n}and{total}— and a Position. To leave a cover or contents page unnumbered, set Start on page to 2 or more; to continue an existing sequence, set First number. - Click Number, then download one file or a ZIP, or send the results to Merge PDF, Compress PDF or Protect PDF.
Formats, counting and what stays the same
A page number is written as real text in Helvetica at 9, 11 or 14 points, so it is selectable, searchable and crisp when printed. The four presets cover the common styles; Custom takes any pattern such as Sheet {n} — {total} or - {n} -, where {n} is the number on the current page and {total} the last number in the file. Patterns are limited to the characters the standard PDF fonts contain — Latin letters with accents, digits, punctuation and symbols such as © and € — because a number that printed as a question mark would be worse than an error.
Skipping a cover and continuing a sequence
Start on page leaves the pages before it untouched; First number is what the start page receives. The last number is counted from there: a 10-page file numbered from page 2 with first number 1 reads “Page 1 of 9” on its second sheet, because nine pages carry numbers; with first number 2 it reads “Page 2 of 10”, matching the physical page count. To continue from an earlier volume that ended on page 48, set First number to 49.
Placement
Six positions — three across the top, three across the bottom — at a Narrow, Normal or Wide margin (about 6, 13 or 19 mm from the edge). Placement follows the reader's view: the visible page after any rotation stored in the file, and the crop box if the page has one, so a scan saved sideways gets its number at the visual bottom, not on the side.
What stays the same
Pages are numbered in place rather than copied into a new document, so bookmarks, internal links, annotations, editable form fields and document metadata are all kept, and the file size grows by only a few hundred bytes. Encrypted PDFs (remove the password with Unlock PDF first), XFA forms and digitally signed documents are refused, because rewriting them would break the encryption or the signature. Existing page numbers are not detected or removed; if the document already has some, choose a different position or the opposite edge.
Frequently asked questionsUseful details
7 answers +
Are my PDFs uploaded?
No. Reading, previewing and numbering happen in your browser. File contents and filenames are not sent to Toolkitta. Keep this tab open until you download the result; reloading clears the session. Website hosting and performance measurement are described in our Privacy notice.
Can I write “Page 1 of 10”?
Yes: it is the default format. Choose 1 / N for a shorter version, Page 1 or plain 1 for a number alone, or Custom for your own pattern, for example Sheet {n} of {total} or - {n} -. {n} is the number on the current page and {total} the last number in the file.
How do I skip the cover page?
Set Start on page to 2 (or higher for a cover plus contents). Those pages are left untouched. With First number 1 the first numbered page reads Page 1 of 9 on a 10-page file, since nine pages carry numbers; set First number to 2 if you prefer Page 2 of 10, which matches the physical page count.
Can I choose where the numbers go?
Yes: top or bottom, and left, centre or right, with a narrow, normal or wide margin. Numbers are placed in the reader's view, so a page stored sideways in the file still gets its number at the visual bottom. There is no free positioning; if the footer already has text, use the top or the opposite corner.
Can I number several PDFs at once, or continue numbering across files?
Yes, up to 20 files, 50 MB each and 200 MB combined, 300 pages per file. The same settings apply to every file: each one starts at the First number you set. For one continuous sequence across several documents, merge them first with Merge PDF and number the merged file once.
Will the numbers be selectable text, and in which font?
Yes. They are real text in Helvetica — black, 9, 11 or 14 points — so they can be selected, searched and print sharply. Patterns are limited to the characters the standard PDF fonts contain: Latin letters with accents, digits, punctuation and common symbols.
Which files are not supported, and what changes in the file?
Encrypted or password-protected PDFs (remove the password with Unlock PDF first), XFA forms and digitally signed documents are refused with an explanation. Everything else is kept: pages are numbered in place, so text, pictures, links, bookmarks, annotations, editable form fields and metadata remain. Existing page numbers are not removed. This is not a metadata-removal or redaction tool.
More help
Guides, common conversions and useful next steps.
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