How to Add Page Numbers to PDF

Add page numbers to PDF documents online for free. Choose position, format, and font.

About How To Add Page Numbers To PDF

Adding page numbers to a PDF makes long documents navigable and professional. PDF AI Tools inserts page numbers at any position (header or footer, left/center/right) with custom format, starting number, and font — all in the browser.

Choose Bates-style numbering for legal documents, Roman numerals for front matter, or standard Arabic numerals. Set the starting page number, skip blank pages, and select a custom font and size.

How to Use How to Add Page Numbers to PDF

Step 1: Upload your PDF to the Add Page Numbers tool
Step 2: Choose position (footer center is most common)
Step 3: Select numbering format and starting number
Step 4: Set font and size, then preview and download

Key Features

Position: header or footer, left/center/right
Numbering format: 1 2 3, i ii iii, I II III, A B C
Custom starting number
Custom font, size, and color
Option to skip first page (cover page)
Apply to all or specific pages
Browser-based processing
Preview before saving

How We Compare

Compared to desktop alternatives like Adobe Acrobat Pro (starting at $19.99/month), Smallpdf ($12/month for unlimited), or iLovePDF ($9/month Premium), PDF AI Tools delivers comparable quality at $0 for the core feature set. We skip the subscription friction by processing most operations directly in your browser with WebAssembly — no server infrastructure costs to pass on to users. Our AI features (summarization, chat, OCR) use a pay-as-you-go backend that keeps your total cost well under $5/month even for power users.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I start numbering from page 3 (skipping a cover and TOC)?

Yes — set the "start numbering at page" field to 3 and the starting number to 1.

Can I add Bates numbers for legal documents?

Yes — use the Bates Numbering format option with a prefix (e.g., "CASE-000001").

Can I use Roman numerals for front matter?

Yes — select Roman numerals and apply them only to the first N pages.

Will adding page numbers change the PDF structure?

No — page numbers are added as a content layer on top of existing content.

Who Uses This Tool

Number pages in a legal brief for court filing
Add Bates numbers to a document production set
Number chapters in a book manuscript
Add footer page numbers to a company policy document