Page numbers look like a small detail until you have to discuss a 60-page document on a call: "look at page 23" only works if every page says which one it is. Court bundles, theses, tenders, audit files and long contracts almost always require numbering. If your PDF has none, you do not need to go back to the original file.

Adding page numbers

1. Open the Page Number tool and upload the PDF.
2. Pick the position: a bottom or top corner, or the centre of the top or bottom edge. Bottom centre or bottom right are the most common choices.
3. Set the starting number. Use 1 for a normal document.
4. Download the file and look at the first, a middle and the last page to confirm the numbers do not cover any text.

When to start from a number other than 1

• Continuing a document: your second file begins on page 41 because the first file ended on page 40.
• Annexures and appendices: numbering that continues from the main document makes references unambiguous.
• A cover page that should not count: see the trick below.

How to leave the cover page unnumbered

Many reports want no number on the title page and "1" on the first page of content. You can do that with three small steps:

1. Use Split PDF to save the cover page as one file and the remaining pages as another.
2. Add page numbers to the second file, starting from 1.
3. Merge the two files again with Merge PDF, cover first.

Do it in the right order

Number the document last. If you merge, delete or re-order pages afterwards, the numbers will be wrong, and numbering twice produces two overlapping sets. Finish merging, then number, then compress if the file is too large, and finally add a signature if one is needed.

Layout checks

• Is there enough bottom margin? A footer or a stamp already printed on the page can collide with the number; choose another corner.
• Are landscape pages numbered where you expect? Check them separately.
• Does the table of contents match? If you add a cover or numbering shifts pages, update the contents list by hand.

Frequently asked questions

Can I add "Page 3 of 20"?

The tool stamps the page number. If your format requires "of N", check the tool options on its page, or mention the total in the document's footer text.

Can I number only some pages?

Split the file, number the part you want and merge it back, as described above.

Do page numbers change the original text?

No. The number is added on top of the page and the existing content stays untouched.

Can I remove numbers I added by mistake?

Not from the same file. Go back to the version without numbers and stamp it again, so keep a copy before you start.