How to add page numbers to a PDF
Choose the PDF, where the numbers go and how they read: 1, 1 / 9 (the page and the count) or – 1 –. To leave a cover page without a number, type 2- in the pages box; to start counting from another number, change the first number.
Each number is written onto the page in Helvetica, black, a third of an inch from the edge; a page stored sideways gets its number at the edge you see as the bottom or top. The rest of the page is copied as it is.
Worked example
A 9-page report numbered from page 2, starting at 1, in the format 1 / 9 at the bottom center, gets 1 / 8 on its second page and 8 / 8 on its last; the cover stays blank.
Before you rely on the result
One PDF of up to 200 MB at a time. The numbers are digits only, so they read the same in every language. A PDF locked with a password has to be unlocked first. Nothing is uploaded.
Cite this page
ToolOctopus. “Add page numbers to a PDF.” Updated 2026-10-12. https://tooloctopus.com/add-page-numbers-to-pdf.
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