# How to add page numbers to a PDF

> A report, a manuscript, a bundle of exhibits for a filing: each wants numbers placed differently. Here's how to add them, and when you actually need something else.

[Add page numbers](https://pdfjade.com/add-page-numbers) prints a number onto every page of a PDF, in a position and format you choose, directly into the page content rather than as a separate overlay that depends on the viewer. Once added, the numbers show up the same way in any reader and on any printout.

## What to choose, and why it matters

**Position** usually follows convention: bottom centre or bottom right for most documents, top for some academic or legal formats. **Format** matters for anything someone will reference later: "Page 3" is fine for a short document, but "3 of 40" tells a reader how much is left, useful for a report that might be printed and read away from a screen. **Starting number** matters when a cover page or table of contents shouldn't count as page 1, a common request: numbering can start from a chosen page rather than the very first one, so the content itself begins at "1."

## When plain numbers aren't what you need

Plain sequential numbers restart at 1 for every document and say nothing about which document a page came from. That's a problem for a specific case: a bundle of exhibits, contracts or records submitted together, where every page across every file needs a unique, traceable identifier, such as `ABC000001`, that survives even if pages are separated later. That's what Bates numbering is for, a different, more rigid scheme used in legal and compliance filings; see [Bates numbering explained](https://pdfjade.com/guides/bates-numbering-explained) and [Bates numbering](https://pdfjade.com/bates-numbering) if that's the actual requirement rather than ordinary page numbers.

## Combining with a header or footer

If a page number needs to sit alongside a date, a document title or a confidentiality notice, rather than stand alone, [Add header and footer](https://pdfjade.com/add-header-footer) places all of that together along the top or bottom of each page in one pass.

## Questions

### Can I start numbering from a page other than the first?

Yes, choose a starting page so earlier pages, such as a cover sheet, stay unnumbered or are skipped from the count.

### Can I make it say "Page 3 of 40" instead of just "3"?

Yes, that format is one of the available options, and the total page count updates automatically to match the file.

### What's the difference between this and Bates numbering?

Plain page numbers restart at 1 for each document. Bates numbering assigns a unique, continuous identifier across a whole set of files, used mainly for legal and compliance records; see the guide linked above.

### Will this affect the existing content on the page?

No. The number is added into the page without changing the existing text, images or layout underneath it.

Source: https://pdfjade.com/guides/how-to-add-page-numbers-to-a-pdf