Page numbers make a long PDF usable. A reviewer can write see page 14, a teacher can tell the class to open page 32, and a printed report that falls on the floor can be put back in order in a minute. Many offices, universities and courts also require numbered pages in anything you submit. Add page numbers puts clean, consistent numbers on every page of your PDF.
Choose where the number goes: at the bottom or the top, in the centre or in a corner. Pick a style: plain numbers, a number with the total such as 3 / 12, a number between dashes, or small roman numerals like i, ii and iii, which are often used for the front pages of a thesis or a book. Set the text size in points; 10 to 12 points matches most documents.
Many documents should not be numbered from the very first page. Use Pages to skip to leave a cover, a title page or a table of contents without a number. First number sets the number printed on the first numbered page, so you can start at 1 after skipping the cover, or continue from where an earlier part ended, for example starting at 41 for chapter three.
The numbers are placed inside the visible area of each page, and pages that were turned sideways are handled correctly, so the numbers always read the right way up and never end up off the edge. The rest of the page is not changed: text, images, links and form fields stay exactly as they were. Your PDF is processed in your own browser and never uploaded, and you download a new file ending in -numbered.
Numbers are drawn with a standard font using Western digits, which every PDF reader can display. A password-protected file has to be unlocked first. If you are putting together several documents, merge them first with Merge PDF and then number the result, so the numbering runs straight through. To add a word or label on every page instead of a number, use Add watermark.