How do I skip the cover page?

Set numbering to begin on page two and the starting number to one. Those are two separate settings, and needing both is why built-in numbering so often produces a cover marked page one or a second page marked two.

Can I use Roman numerals?

Yes, which is the convention for front matter in reports and dissertations — numbered separately from the body, restarting at one when the main content begins.

The numbers overlap my footer.

Move them to a corner, or increase the margin. The tool places numbers where you specify without knowing what is already on the page.

Should I number before or after reordering?

After, always. Numbers are drawn into the page content and do not follow pages that move, so numbering an unfinished document produces a sequence that no longer matches.

Add Page Numbers

Stamp numbers onto a PDF, wherever you want them.

Everything runs inside your browser. Your files never leave your device.

Drop your file here

.pdf · they stay on this device

Ask about Add Page Numbers

Questions about what this tool does, which option to pick, or what it can and cannot handle.

The question you type here is sent to an AI provider to be answered — your files and whatever you put in the tool above are not, and the assistant cannot see them. Answers are generated and can be wrong. The tool itself is not guessing: it runs deterministic code on your device.

About the Add Page Numbers

Page numbers turn a stack of paper into a document. They let someone say "look at page fourteen", they show when a page is missing from a printed bundle, and they are frequently required for court filings, academic submissions and formal reports.

This adds numbers to a PDF that lacks them, with control over position, starting number, format and which pages are numbered.

The options that matter are the ones about starting point. A document with a cover page usually should not number the cover, and the page after it should usually be page one rather than page two. Those are two separate settings — which page to start numbering on, and what number to start at — and needing both is why so many built-in numbering features produce the wrong result.

Formats beyond plain digits are available because documents ask for them. "Page 3 of 40" is the standard for anything that will be printed and handled, since it tells a reader immediately whether they have all of it. Roman numerals for front matter is a publishing convention that persists in formal reports and dissertations.

Position follows convention: bottom centre is the safe default, bottom outer corner is the choice for anything bound, since it puts the number where a thumb finds it. Avoid the bottom of a page that already has a footer, which is the most common collision.

The numbers are drawn into the page content, so they print and survive conversion. They are added after any reordering, which is why numbering should be the last operation on a document rather than an early one.

How to use it

1Drop in the PDF.
2Choose the position — bottom centre for most documents, bottom outer corner for anything bound.
3Set which page numbering starts on and what number it starts at. A cover page usually wants both.
4Pick the format. “Page 3 of 40” is worth it for anything that will be printed and handled.

Questions

How do I skip the cover page?: Set numbering to begin on page two and the starting number to one. Those are two separate settings, and needing both is why built-in numbering so often produces a cover marked page one or a second page marked two.
Can I use Roman numerals?: Yes, which is the convention for front matter in reports and dissertations — numbered separately from the body, restarting at one when the main content begins.
The numbers overlap my footer.: Move them to a corner, or increase the margin. The tool places numbers where you specify without knowing what is already on the page.
Should I number before or after reordering?: After, always. Numbers are drawn into the page content and do not follow pages that move, so numbering an unfinished document produces a sequence that no longer matches.