Add page numbers to a PDF — free, in your browser
Number the pages where you want them, in the style you want. Nothing is uploaded.
To add page numbers, drop the PDF here, choose where the number sits and how it reads, then download. The numbers are drawn onto the existing pages rather than the document being rebuilt, so text stays selectable and nothing is re-compressed. Everything runs in your browser and the file is never uploaded.
- Nothing uploadedRuns on your device
- No limitsNo account, no watermark
- No upload waitStarts immediately
On this page
How it works
- 1
Add your PDF
Drop it onto the page, paste it, or click to browse. It is read from your device and not sent anywhere.
- 2
Choose position and style
The page appears on screen with the number on it, so you can see it land before saving. Pick any of six positions, a plain number, 'Page 1', or '1 of 12' when someone needs to notice a missing page.
- 3
Number and download
Set a starting number if the front matter is counted separately, tick the box to leave a cover page bare, and download.
What each setting does
- Text size and margin
- The number is 10pt by default, which reads as a footer rather than a heading, and sits 28pt in from the edge. Raise the size for a document meant to be read at arm's length, or widen the margin to clear a footer the document already has. Both show in the preview as you change them.
- Position
- Six positions — three along the top, three along the bottom — chosen on a grid shaped like the page rather than from a list of names. Bottom centre is the default because that is what printed documents do; move it when a corner already holds a margin note, a staple or a binding edge.
- Style
- A plain number is right for most documents. 'Page 1' helps when people will refer to the document out loud. '1 of 12' is the one that matters for anything printed and passed around, because it lets a reader see that a page is missing rather than guess.
- Start at
- The number printed on the first numbered page. Reports whose front matter is numbered separately usually want the body to begin at 1 while the cover and contents are skipped, or to continue from where the front matter ended.
- Leave the first page bare
- A cover page carrying a '1' looks wrong, and the count then runs one ahead of what people expect. With this ticked the cover is untouched and numbering begins on the page after it.
Results you can expect
Measured on real files by our own test suite, not estimated.
| Property | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Page count | Unchanged | Unchanged |
| Text selectable | Yes | Yes, including the numbers |
| Image quality | Original | Untouched |
| File size | Original | Plus one embedded font |
What people use this for
A report assembled from several files
Merging documents leaves each one's own numbering, or none at all. Numbering the merged file afterwards is the only way to get a single sequence that runs to the end.
Read the guideAnything that will be printed and handed round
Loose paper gets shuffled. '1 of 12' is the difference between a reader noticing a missing page and silently reading an incomplete document.
Read the guideA submission with a required format
Courts, journals and grant bodies often specify where the number goes and where the count begins. Both are set here rather than fought with in a word processor.
Read the guideA scan that needs a reference
A numbered scan can be cited page by page in correspondence, which matters when the document is evidence rather than reading matter.
Read the guide
How this compares
| FileCrisp | Typical web tool | Word processor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uploads your file | No | Yes | No |
| Works on an existing PDF | Yes | Yes | Not without converting |
| Choose where the count starts | Yes | Sometimes | Yes |
| Free limit | None | Daily task cap | Licence |
| Keeps text selectable | Yes | Usually | Yes |
Questions
Does adding page numbers change the rest of the document?
No. The numbers are drawn onto the existing pages rather than the document being rebuilt. Text stays selectable, images are not re-encoded, and the only growth is one embedded font.
Can I start numbering at something other than 1?
Yes. Set the starting number, which is what a report with separately numbered front matter needs — the body often begins at 1 while the cover and contents are skipped entirely.
Can I leave the cover page unnumbered?
Yes, and it is usually what you want. Tick the box and numbering begins on the second page, with the cover left untouched.
What does '1 of 12' count when the cover is skipped?
The numbered pages, not the pages in the file. On a 13-page document with the cover skipped the last page reads '12 of 12' — counting the cover would tell the reader a thirteenth numbered page exists, and they would go looking for one.
Will the numbers cover up my content?
They sit inside the usual print margin, so on a normally laid-out document they land in white space. The preview shows the real page, so a document that already carries a footer shows the clash before you save rather than after — move the number, or set a larger margin to clear it.
Do the numbers work on landscape pages?
Yes. The position is calculated from each page's own dimensions, so a landscape page in a portrait document gets its number in the right place rather than off the edge.
Can I remove the numbers afterwards?
Not from the output, because they become part of the page. Keep the original — that is the version to go back to, and it is good practice with any tool that stamps a document.
Are my documents uploaded?
No. The PDF is read from your device, drawn on in your browser's memory, and written back. You can confirm it in the Network tab, or by disconnecting after the page loads.
Can I number a password-protected PDF?
Not while it is encrypted. The file is rejected with a clear message rather than producing something broken. Remove the protection in the application that applied it, then number it.
Is it really free?
Yes — no account, no daily cap, no watermark. The work happens on your device, so there is no bandwidth bill to recover and nothing to meter.
If something looks wrong
- The numbers are one higher than I expected
- The cover page is probably being counted. Tick 'leave the first page bare' so numbering starts on the page after it, or set the starting number to suit.
- A number landed on top of my content
- The number sits inside the standard print margin, so this happens on documents laid out edge to edge. Move it to a position where that page has clear space.
- '1 of 12' does not match my page count
- It counts numbered pages rather than pages in the file, so skipping the cover of a 13-page document gives a total of 12. That is deliberate — it describes what the reader can actually see numbered.
- The file was rejected as encrypted
- A password-protected PDF cannot be modified until the protection is removed, and that has to be done in the application that applied it.