PDF Page Numbers
Add page numbers to a PDF in any position. Pick the corner, format, font and start number: all client-side, no upload.
Interactive tool
Drop a PDF to number
Add page numbers to any corner with a custom format. Files stay in your browser.
What is the PDF Page Numbers tool?
A precise paginator for PDFs. Pick the corner (or any of the nine standard zones), choose a format (1, Page 1, 1 of 10, roman numerals, …), pick a font, font size, color and margin, then save. Your file is opened, modified, and re-emitted entirely in the browser using pdf-lib: no upload, no quality loss on the existing pages.
How to Number a PDF
- 1Drop a PDF into the upload area
- 2Pick a position from the 9-zone grid (top/middle/bottom × left/centre/right)
- 3Choose a number format (Page N, N / Total, Roman numerals, …)
- 4Adjust font, size, margin, color, and start number as needed
- 5Optionally limit to a page range like "3-last"
- 6Click Add page numbers and download the result
Key features
9-zone position grid
Place the number in any standard corner or on the centre axis with a single click
Seven format presets
Plain number, Page N, N / Total, Page N of Total, lowercase / uppercase Roman numerals
Font, size and color
Helvetica, Times or Courier: all PDF standard fonts, no font upload required
Custom start number
Useful for resuming pagination across split documents or skipping cover pages
Per-range support
Apply numbers to a subset like "3-last": leave the front matter untouched
Live page-1 preview
See the chosen position and format before committing
No upload, no signup
Everything runs in your browser via pdf-lib and pdfjs-dist
Lossless content
Existing page contents are untouched; only a small text annotation is added
Why number a PDF in the browser?
Pagination is one of the few PDF tasks every team does and almost nobody enjoys. Server-side competitors typically upload the file, queue it for processing, and return a re-encoded copy. This tool keeps the file on your device, uses pdf-lib’s drawText to add a single text run per page, and writes a derivative file in seconds. Because pdf-lib does not re-rasterize, fonts and images on the existing pages keep their full quality.
Common use cases
- Adding page numbers to a research paper before submission
- Numbering combined exhibits in a legal filing
- Resuming pagination across a split-and-rejoined document
- Adding Roman numerals to front matter and Arabic numerals to body content
- Stamping a quick "Page X of Y" footer on shared meeting notes
- Re-numbering a re-ordered scan bundle
Format reference
- N, just the number ("3")
- Page N: "Page 3"
- N of Total: "3 of 10"
- N / Total: "3 / 10"
- Page N of Total: "Page 3 of 10"
- roman lower: "iii"
- ROMAN UPPER: "III"
Limitations
- Password-protected PDFs are not supported; remove the password first
- The standard fonts (Helvetica, Times, Courier) cover Latin scripts only
- Existing page numbers are not detected or removed; the new ones overlay anything beneath
- Digital signatures are invalidated by any page modification
Tips & best practices
Use Roman numerals for front matter
Run the tool twice: once with roman-lower for pages 1-N and once with the plain "n" format starting at 1 for the body.
Match the body font
If your source uses Times-style fonts, pick Times for visual consistency.
Tweak the margin to match your existing layout
36pt is half an inch: perfectly safe. Increase to 54pt for documents with generous margins.
Use ⌘+↵ to commit
Cmd+Enter (Ctrl+Enter on Windows) saves without leaving the keyboard.
Combine with PDF Merge / Split
Number sections separately, then merge them: letting you mix Roman + Arabic numbering in one final document.
Privacy & security
pdf-lib runs entirely in your browser. Your PDF, font choices, and color settings never leave the device. Closing the tab clears everything.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Will this overwrite existing page numbers?
No. The tool draws a new text run on top of each chosen page. Existing numbers in the document remain. If you want to replace them, redact or crop them out separately.
Can I use a custom font?
Not yet. The tool ships with the three PDF standard families (Helvetica, Times, Courier), which cover Latin scripts and require zero font embedding. Custom fonts inflate the output size and complicate licensing. We may add an opt-in upload field later.
How do I number only the body of the document?
Type the page range in the "Page range" field (e.g. 5-last). Combine that with a "Start at 1" value to keep your body section starting at 1 even when the front matter is skipped.
Does it support Roman numerals?
Yes. Pick "roman lower" or "ROMAN UPPER". Numbers above 3999 fall back to plain integers: Roman numerals don't cover that range historically.
Will this re-encode the PDF?
No. pdf-lib only adds a small text annotation per page. The existing page contents (text, images, fonts) are passed through byte-for-byte.
Is the file uploaded to a server?
No. Everything runs locally: pdf-lib for writing, pdfjs-dist for the live preview. Closing the tab discards the file from memory.