Add page numbers to a PDF
A number on every page — its place, its format, its starting page. The numbers are real text, not an image: they copy and they search.
Free · 100% local — nothing is uploaded- 1Open your PDF.
- 2Choose the position, the format and the first numbered page.
- 3Download the paginated document.
How to add page numbers to a PDF
Open the document, choose where the number sits — the six usual spots, at the head or at the foot, left, center or right — its format and the page the numbering starts from, then download. The numbers are laid as real text in the page, with an embedded font: they copy, they search, they print crisply at any scale, and they do not weigh the file down the way an image would. You can start at a number other than 1, which is what you need when a dissertation is assembled from several files, and skip the cover pages. Vélin also spots the numbers already on the page and warns you if yours would land on top of them. Nothing is sent to a server: the document stays on your device from start to finish.
Numbering a case file made of several documents
Two ways to go about it. Either you merge the files first and number them all in one pass — that is the simplest, and the numbering is bound to run on. Or you number each file separately, giving each its starting number, which is useful when the exhibits must stay separate files. For a legal case file, where every page must carry a unique identifier rather than a plain number, Bates numbering is what you need.
Frequently asked questions
Can I start at a number other than 1?
Yes. You set the starting number and the first page to carry a folio: a cover page can stay bare.
Which numbering formats are possible?
The figure alone, or a compound form such as “3 / 12”, so the reader knows where they stand.
What about continuous numbering across several case files?
That is the job of Bates numbering, made for legal exhibits and archiving.
Where does the number sit on the page?
Wherever you decide: top or bottom, left, center or right. Bottom center is the convention for reports; bottom outer edge, that of books.
Does numbering overwrite a number already there?
It is added on top. If the document already carries pagination, choose a different position, or cover the old one before laying down the new.