What Add Page Numbers does
PDFGrover's Add Page Numbers tool stamps a page number onto every page of a PDF, with control over position, format, size, starting number, and whether to skip the cover. It's essential for anything readers need to cite or navigate — contracts, reports, court filings, handouts, or a document you assembled by merging several files.
When to add page numbers
- After merging several PDFs into one — the combined file usually has no consistent numbering.
- Contracts & legal filings where parties must reference exact pages.
- Reports & theses that need a clean, consistent footer.
- Printed handouts so a room can be told "turn to page 12."
- Scanned documents that never had numbers to begin with.
How to add page numbers
- Upload a PDF (up to 200 MB).
- Choose position, format, and size (see below).
- Set the starting number and optionally skip the first page so a cover stays unnumbered.
- Click Add Page Numbers and download the result.
Position — 6 options
Top-left / Top-center / Top-right, and Bottom-left / Bottom-center (default) / Bottom-right.
Format — 4 options
1, 2, 3— plain number (default)Page 1— "Page" plus the number1 of N— current page and total (e.g. "3 of 24")- 1 -— classic book-style dashes
A custom prefix/suffix (e.g. "Section A - 1") isn't supported here — build that with Edit PDF instead.
Font size & starting number
- Size — 8, 10 (default), 12, 14, or 18 pt (Helvetica; family not user-selectable).
- Start From — any positive integer, so a section that continues from a previous part can begin at, say, 47.
- Skip first page — leaves the cover unnumbered; numbering then starts on page 2 from your Start From value.
Quality & how it's stamped
The number is added as real text — selectable and searchable, not an image — and the original page content is left untouched, so there's no quality loss and the file barely grows (roughly a couple of hundred bytes per page). Small and mid-size PDFs are stamped in your browser; very large ones use our secure server to avoid browser-memory limits, then the upload is deleted as soon as your download is ready.
Limits
- One file per request
- Up to 200 MB per PDF (browser-side up to 100 MB / 5,000 pages; larger files use the server)
Tips & troubleshooting
- Numbers overlap content — pick a different position (e.g. bottom-center) or a smaller font size.
- Cover shouldn't be numbered — tick Skip first page.
- Need numbering to continue across files — set Start From to one past the previous file's last page.
- Want a prefix like "Exhibit 1" — use Edit PDF for free-form text instead.
- Re-numbering after edits — if you Delete Pages or Merge, re-run this so the numbers stay correct.
Privacy and file handling
Browser-side stamping never uploads your PDF. Server-side stamping uploads over HTTPS, stamps the pages, and deletes the source and working files as soon as your download is ready. Close the tab mid-stamp and the job is cancelled and temporary files cleared automatically. No sign-up, no watermark, no copies retained.