How to Change PDF Page Numbers.

Mastering the art of adding, removing, and positioning page numbers in your documents gives them that professional touch — whether you’re working on an academic paper, a business report, or organizing a collection of PDF documents and files. Sound like a tough task? It’s not really. Learning how to number PDF pages isn’t hard. Read on to find out how.

Photo that shows flicking through a book with the bottom corner of a page and page number visible.

What you’ll learn

Why PDF page numbers matter.

Before delving into the technical aspects of adding and removing page numbers, consider why your PDF document should have numbered pages. Page numbers serve several essential functions in PDF documents, such as —

  1. Navigation.
    Page numbers help you and your readers navigate through lengthy documents more efficiently. Whether you're studying a research paper, referencing a manual, or simply reading a novel, page numbers make it easier to find specific content.

  2. Organization.
    Page numbers contribute to the overall organization of your PDF. They help to establish a structure to support the logic of your layout and your document’s readability.

  3. Citations.
    In academic and professional documents, page numbers are essential for accurate citations. They allow you and your readers to pinpoint the exact location of a quoted or referenced point or passage.

Adding page numbers to PDF files with Adobe Acrobat is a straightforward process — and even better, you can choose to do so online, or in one of our applications.

Add page numbers to PDF files online.

To add page numbers to a PDF using Adobe Acrobat’s online PDF page editor, you can just upload your file, or drag and drop, and use an online tool to add your page numbers to your document. There’s no need to download and install any applications or software. The many tools and features available for you to use in Adobe Acrobat Online are all web-based.

To insert page numbers into your PDF online —

  1. Go to Adobe Acrobat online
    Screenshot of page on Adobe Acrobat Online for uploading or dragging and dropping files to add page numbering.
  2. Drag and drop your PDF file or click the “Select a file” button to upload a PDF from your computer or device.
  3. You will be prompted to sign in to a free account to work on your PDF after the file has been uploaded.
  4. Select from the options for the page numbers in your PDF. You can choose —
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  • the position of the numbering on the page — at the top, bottom, right, left, or centre
  • a range of pages add numbers to
  • the page to start the numbering at
  • the text format — font, font size, colour and bold or italicized text
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  1. Save your file, and then download your new document or get a link to share it with online.

While you’re there in Adobe Acrobat Online, check out some of the other available tools. For example, you can —

Remove page numbering from a PDF online.

To remove page numbering from a PDF using Adobe Acrobat Online, you will see the prompt below to remove or replace existing page numbers when you upload a PDF with existing page numbering.

Screenshot from Adobe Acrobat Online showing the prompt to replace or remove page numbers on a PDF file.

Add PDF page numbers with Adobe Acrobat applications.

To add page numbers to a PDF using Adobe Acrobat, use the Edit tool to add page numbers into the header or footer sections of your document.

You’ll find a range of options to customize what your page numbers look like and where you position them. For example, you can specify page ranges or numbering on alternate odd and even pages. This is also where you can add other important text into your headers and footers at the same time, such as the date, your name, the name of your document, and so forth.

To insert page numbers into your PDF using Adobe Acrobat —

  1. Open your PDF file in Adobe Acrobat.

  2. From the Edit tool, select “Header and footer,” then Add or Update. You’ll then see this window with the customizable header and footer settings.

  3. Choose your font settings to adjust the appearance of your footer numbers.

  4. Click on “Page Number and Date Format” to customize the position of your page numbers.

  5. Click the “Insert Page Number” button to further customize your page numbers.

    • The Page Number Format options give you more text and formatting options.
      For example, in the screenshot above, “Page 1 of n” has been selected so each page will show the total number of pages (n).
    • Use the “Start Page Number” option if you want to start your page numbering on your second or third page. This style of numbering is standard in reports where your first might be a cover page and table of contents and you want to start the page numbering one or two pages into your document.

  6. Click on “Page Range Options” to select further preferences for numbering. Here, you can adjust the first page to start numbering. You can also choose to have page numbering on all pages, a selected range of pages, or on odd/even pages only. Use this option to remove numbering from the first pages of your document to allow for cover pages, copyright information, and so forth.

  7. Click “Okay” to save your changes.

  8. Save time for future files. Use the “Apply to Multiple Files” button to repeat this process on other PDFs. Or click on the “Save settings” to apply the same page numbering formatting to a future document.

Remove PDF page numbers with Adobe Acrobat.

To remove page numbering from a PDF file using Adobe Acrobat, simply —

  1. Open your PDF file in Adobe Acrobat.

  2. From the Edit tool, select “Header and footer,” then “Remove.”

  3. Or, if you have text in your header and footers that you want to be sure to keep, select “Update”. Then delete the page numbers from their position in the text boxes in the window.

Screenshot from Adobe Acrobat Pro showing the window prompt to Add, Update, or Remove PDF page numbers.

Adding, removing, and editing your PDF page numbers, as appropriate, will enhance the quality of your PDFs for you and your clients. They’re not just navigation tools. Page numbers are the finishing touch to ensure a multi-page document looks polished and professional.

Related content.

Keep reading! We’ve got a lot of other articles to help you use Adobe Acrobat for reading, writing, and editing PDF files. For example —

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