Page numbers are easy to forget until someone asks “which page is that on?” Universities usually require them in theses and assignments, courts and offices expect them in document bundles, and readers of any long report will thank you for them. You can add them to any PDF in seconds.

The quick way

  1. Open Add Page Numbers and add your PDF.
  2. Choose a position: bottom center, bottom right, bottom left, top center or top right.
  3. Choose a format: “Page 1 of 12”, “Page 1”, “1” or “1 / 12”.
  4. Set the first number and the font size.
  5. Click Add numbers and download your file.

Which position and format?

  • Bottom center, just the number is the classic choice for books, theses and essays.
  • Bottom right is common in business reports and is easy to spot when flipping through printed pages.
  • “Page 1 of 12” suits contracts and forms, because readers can see that no pages are missing.
  • Top right is sometimes required by academic styles. Check your guidelines.

10 point text suits most documents. Use 12 to 14 points for slides or documents that will be read on screen from a distance.

Get the pages ready first

Numbers can’t be moved once they’re added, so prepare the document first:

  • Join all parts into one file with Merge PDF, so numbering runs through the whole document.
  • Put pages in the right order with Organize PDF.
  • Remove blank pages with Remove Pages.
  • Check whether pages already have numbers in the footer. If they do, choose a different position, or the numbers will overlap.

Keep a copy of the unnumbered version, so you can number it again if you change something later.

Skipping the cover page

Every page in the file gets a number. If your cover page shouldn’t show one, the simplest approach is:

  1. Use Split PDF with the ranges 1, 2-end to separate the cover from the rest.
  2. Add page numbers to the second file. Set First number to 2 if the cover counts as page 1, or to 1 if numbering should start after the cover.
  3. Join the cover and the numbered pages again with Merge PDF.

Theses and reports with front matter

Many universities want the front matter (title page, abstract, acknowledgements, table of contents) either unnumbered or numbered separately, with the main chapters starting again at 1. You can use the same split-and-merge approach:

  1. Split the PDF into front matter and main body, for example with ranges 1-8, 9-end.
  2. Number the main body starting from 1.
  3. Merge the front matter and the numbered body back together.

Convertpdfly numbers with ordinary digits. If your university requires Roman numerals (i, ii, iii) for the front matter, add them in Word before creating the PDF, and use Convertpdfly for the main body.

Continuing numbers across files

If you’re sending a long document in parts, such as volume 1 and volume 2, set First number on the second file to continue where the first one ended. For example, if part one has 40 pages, start part two at 41.

The numbers are added in your browser and your file isn’t uploaded. Once numbered, the document is ready to share, print or protect with a password.