Guide
How to add page numbers to a PDF (free, without Acrobat)
Number the pages of a PDF without Adobe Acrobat: choose the position and format, start at any number, and keep the original layout. Free methods explained.
Updated 4 October 2026 2 min read
Court bundles, reports, application files and printed handouts all need page numbers — and the document is often already a PDF. Apple's Preview can't add them, Windows has no tool for it, and Adobe's Header & Footer feature is part of the paid Acrobat Pro.
If you still have the original document
The cleanest way is at the source: in Word, use Insert → Page Number, then export to PDF again. That isn't possible for scans, merged files or documents you received.
Add numbers to the PDF itself, in the browser
- Drop the PDF into the tool.
- Choose the position (bottom left, centre or right; top centre or right) and the format:
1,Page 1,1 / 12orPage 1 of 12. - Set the starting number if the document continues another one, then download.
The numbers are added on top of each page; nothing else in the document changes.
Several files to number as one document?
Merge them first so the numbering runs from the first page to the last.
Frequently asked questions
Can I start numbering at a page other than 1?
Yes. Choose the starting number — useful for an appendix that continues a main document, or a chapter that starts at page 5.
Will numbers land correctly on landscape or rotated pages?
A good tool places them according to how the page is displayed, so they appear upright at the bottom of landscape and rotated scans too.
Can I number a document made of several files?
Merge the files into one PDF first, then add the numbers, so the count runs across the whole document.