About Add Page Numbers to PDF

Page numbers are an essential element of any formal document. Reports, theses, proposals, manuals, and books all require numbered pages for navigation and referencing. If you have assembled a PDF from multiple sources or converted it from another format, it may lack page numbers entirely.

LocalPDF's Page Numbers tool lets you stamp page numbers onto every page of your PDF with full control over positioning (top/bottom, left/center/right), formatting (starting number, number style), font size, and color. Everything is processed locally in your browser with no uploads to any server.

The numbers are embedded directly into each page's content stream using pdf-lib, making them permanent and visible in all PDF viewers and when printed.

How to Use

  1. 1Upload your PDF using the file selector or drag-and-drop.
  2. 2Choose the position for page numbers: top or bottom, and left, center, or right alignment.
  3. 3Set the starting page number and choose the font size and color.
  4. 4Click "Add Page Numbers" to process the document.
  5. 5Download the numbered PDF.

Key Features

Flexible Positioning

Place numbers at the top or bottom of each page, aligned left, center, or right to match your document layout.

Custom Starting Number

Set any starting number, useful when your PDF starts at a specific page within a larger document series.

Font & Color Control

Customize the font size and color of page numbers to match your document's style.

Permanently Embedded

Page numbers are embedded into the PDF content, visible in all viewers and included in print output.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I skip numbering the first page (title page)?

Yes. Set the "start from page" option to begin numbering from page 2, leaving the title or cover page without a number.

Can I use Roman numerals or letters instead of Arabic numbers?

The current implementation uses standard Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3...). Roman numerals and alphabetic page numbering are planned for future updates.

Will adding page numbers change the document layout?

Page numbers are added in the margin area of each page. They are positioned to avoid overlapping with typical document content, but very narrow-margin documents may see slight overlap. You can adjust margin positions to compensate.

Can I add page numbers to only certain pages?

The tool currently applies page numbers to all pages. To number a subset, split the PDF into sections first, add numbers to the desired section, then re-merge.

Does this work on scanned PDFs?

Yes. Scanned PDFs are treated the same as any other PDF. The page number text is added as a new layer on top of the existing scanned image content.