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PDF Page Numbering

Continue a number sequence across documents by setting each file's start value yourself.

Processed locally in your browser. Your file is not uploaded to any server. How this works

  1. 01Add your file
  2. 02PDF Page Numbering
  3. 03Download

Runs in your browser · nothing uploaded

About PDF page numbering

Numbering a record set is a different problem from numbering a single report: the sequence has to run across many files, every page must carry a unique identifier, and the numbering has to be defensible later. This page lets you set a starting value for each file yourself and add a literal prefix, such as EXH-. It does not carry a counter across files automatically. The prefix is placed directly before each number without adding a separator or inferring zero padding. Each number is drawn into the page's content stream as real text using standard Helvetica, without embedding a font file, so the identifier is searchable and extractable page content rather than an overlay a viewer might choose not to display. The bottom-right corner is a conventional placement, but check your printing, binding and scanning margins rather than assuming the number will survive cropping or hole punching. The tool cannot track your sequence for you: the counter restarts at the supplied value for every file, so record the last number used and manually set the next file to the following number. Prefixes are limited to 24 single-line characters supported by standard Helvetica; unsupported characters and complete prefixed labels that cannot fit are rejected rather than altered. Automatic zero padding, audit logs and certification are not provided.

How to PDF page numbering

  1. 01

    Process the files in order

    Start with the first document of the set so the sequence runs in the right direction.

  2. 02

    Set the continuation number

    For the first file this is usually 1. For later files, enter one past the last number you stamped.

  3. 03

    Set the prefix and placement

    Enter a literal prefix if needed, including your own separator. Choose a position and readable font size that avoid existing content, and check the complete identifier in the output.

  4. 04

    Stamp, save and note the last number

    Download the numbered file and write down the final value before moving to the next document.

What this tool does

  • Manual start-value control for continuing numbering across documents processed one at a time
  • Literal prefix before each sequential number, including any separator you supply
  • Conventional corner placements, with print, binding and scan margins to check before sharing
  • Numbers embedded as searchable text, not a display-only overlay
  • Small default size so identifiers do not compete with the content

Limitations worth knowing

Every PDF tool has constraints. Stating them plainly is more useful than discovering them halfway through your work.

  • The counter restarts at the supplied start value for every file and is not tracked between runs. You must supply each file's starting number yourself.
  • Prefixes are literal, up to 24 single-line characters supported by standard Helvetica. Unsupported text or a complete prefixed label that does not fit causes an error; shorten the prefix or reduce font size. Fixed-width zero padding is not provided.
  • Numbers are stamped over whatever is already in the corner, so check documents with existing footers.
  • This is a numbering tool, not a certified Bates system: it produces no audit log or certificate.

How your file is handled

This tool runs entirely inside this browser tab. When you choose a file, your browser reads it from your own disk and hands the bytes to JavaScript running on this page — no network request carries your document anywhere. You can confirm that yourself: open your browser’s developer tools, switch to the Network panel, and run the tool. You will see no upload.

Nothing is stored after the fact. Closing or reloading this tab discards the file, the result and everything derived from them, because none of it ever left your machine. Read how local processing works.

Questions about PDF page numbering

How do I keep one sequence running across several PDFs?

Process the files individually in order and manually set each one's starting number to one past the previous file's last number. If file one ends at 48, file two starts at 49. The counter restarts at the supplied value for each file; continuation is not automatic.

Can I get fixed-width numbers like 000123?

Not automatically. A prefix of “000” produces 000123 for number 123, but also 0009 for 9 and 0001000 for 1000. It does not adjust the number of zeros to maintain a fixed width. If your convention requires fixed-width identifiers, use a tool that explicitly supports zero padding.

How is this different from Add Page Numbers?

Add Page Numbers offers five working formats, including the literal English output “Page 1 of 12”, six working top or bottom positions, page selection and margin control. Its three middle-position choices fall back to bottom centre, and its dash format produces a plain number. This page offers sequential numbers with an optional literal prefix, five working positions and a start value you set manually for each file. Neither tool continues a counter automatically between files.

Is the number recoverable if the document is re-scanned?

It is printed page content, so it appears on paper and comes back in a scan — though a scanned copy would need OCR before the number is machine-readable again.

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