How to Add Page Numbers to a PDF

The PDF is assembled, ready to send, and the pages are unnumbered. PDF files have no page numbering feature of their own; the numbers visible in other documents were placed there by the program that created them, then frozen into the layout. So numbers either go into the source document before export, or get stamped on top of the finished PDF afterwards.

Number the source document and export again

In Word, choose Insert, Page Number, pick a position, then export with File, Save As, PDF. In Google Docs, choose Insert, Page numbers, then File, Download, PDF Document. Numbers added this way sit inside the text margins and reflow correctly, which is why this route beats every other one.

Stamp them on with Acrobat Pro

With a paid Acrobat Pro subscription, open the PDF and choose Edit, Header and footer, Add. Click where the number should sit, press Insert Page Number, set the starting number and format, adjust the margin values, and click OK.

Use Adobe's free online tool

The Add page numbers to PDF tool on adobe.com takes an uploaded file, places numbers in a chosen position, and returns the result. Free use runs out after a few documents. The file is uploaded to Adobe's servers, so keep confidential material off it and use the source-document route instead.

Reopen the file in Word and number it there

Without Acrobat Pro, open the PDF in Word through File, Open and accept the conversion prompt. Add numbers with Insert, Page Number, then save back to PDF. Conversion can disturb complex layouts, so compare the result against the original before sending.

Preview cannot do this. The Mac Preview app has no page numbering command, and its text boxes have to be placed and typed one page at a time, which is impractical past a few pages.

Watch the margins. Stamped numbers land on top of the existing page rather than inside it, so they can overlap footers, footnotes, or images. Check the first, last, and a middle page after stamping. For court or school submissions, confirm whether Bates numbering is required, since that is a separate feature with its own prefix and sequence rules.

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