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How to add page numbers to a PDF

A twenty-page catalog or a ten-page contract with no numbers confuses the reader, especially when you tell them “see page 7”. Numbers make the file easier to discuss, and you can add them without going back to the program that made it.

Published · 2 min read

Number formats

Pick a ready format such as 1 / 12 or “Page 1 of 12”, or type your own using {n} for the page number and {total} for the total. Arabic text is drawn with joined letters in the right direction.

Worked example

A 10-page file, with the range 2-10, start number 1 and the format “Page {n} of {total}”.

Page 1, the cover, is left exactly as it is.

Page 2 gets “Page 1 of 9”, and page 10 gets “Page 9 of 9”.

How to do it

  1. Open the PDF page numbering tool and choose a PDF.
  2. Pick a number format or type your own.
  3. Set the start number and the page range, and turn on “Skip the first page” if it is a cover.
  4. Choose top or bottom, left, center or right, then the font size, margin and color, and press “Add numbers”.
  5. Check the preview, then download the numbered file. Your original file stays as it is.

Number last

The numbers are drawn over the page as new text, and they do not move if you reorder the pages afterwards. So combine your files first with Merge PDFs, put them in order with Reorder PDF pages, and number them as the last step.

Limits to know

  • {total} is the last number printed, that is the start number plus the numbered pages minus 1, not necessarily the page count of the file.
  • The tool does not inspect page content, so a number can land on text or an image. Increase the margin or change the position.
  • Old page numbers already in the file are not removed.
  • The font, IBM Plex Sans Arabic, is embedded in the file and covers Arabic and Latin. Emoji are replaced with “?”.
  • Tested limits: a file up to 100 MB and 500 pages, and a font size from 6 to 72 points.

Common questions

Can I use Arabic-Indic digits like ١ and ٢?

Yes, you can choose Eastern Arabic digits for the inserted number.

Is my file uploaded?

No, numbering happens inside your browser.

Does numbering break a digital signature?

Yes. Saving a digitally signed file again invalidates its signature. Number the file before it is signed.