How to Add Page Numbers to a PDF

A report, manuscript, or long document without page numbers is a minor but real annoyance the moment someone prints it or references "page 12" out loud. Adding them shouldn't require opening a full desktop PDF editor for what's a fairly simple change.

Numbers, Positioned Your Way

QR Ivify's Add Page Numbers to PDF inserts page numbers with your choice of position (six options — top or bottom, left, center, or right), font, and font size, directly in your browser.

Step by Step

1. Open Add Page Numbers to PDF.
2. Choose the position, font, and font size for the page numbers.
3. Set which page numbering should start on (to skip a cover page) and what the first number shown should be.
4. Click "Add page numbers" and download the result.

Skipping a Cover Page

A common case this handles directly: a document with a title or cover page that shouldn't itself be numbered "1." Set "start numbering on page" to the first real content page (2, for a single cover page), and numbering resets to your chosen starting number from there — the cover page is left blank, and page 2 becomes "1."

The same setting also covers the opposite case: continuing numbering from a previous document, by setting the first number shown to whatever comes next (101, for example, if the prior document ended at 100).

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this upload my PDF anywhere? No. Page numbers are added entirely in your browser using pdf-lib — nothing is sent to a server.

Can I skip a cover page? Yes — set "Start numbering on page" to the first page that should show a number (e.g. 2 to skip a cover page). Earlier pages are left blank, and numbering resets to your chosen first number from that page.

Can numbering continue from a previous document, like starting at 101? Yes — set "First number shown" to whatever number the first numbered page should display.

Is there a file size limit? Yes, 40 MB.

Try It

Need page numbers on a report or manuscript without opening a full PDF editor? QR Ivify's free Add Page Numbers to PDF handles it directly in your browser. Want to add a watermark too? See Watermark PDF.