Why Page Numbers Matter
Page numbers seem like a small detail, but they make a big difference in how a document is used. Legal filings require them. Manuscripts need them for editors and reviewers. Reports and proposals look more professional with numbered pages. And anyone who has ever dropped a printed stack of unnumbered pages knows the panic of trying to put them back in order.
Many PDFs — especially those created from scans, merged from multiple sources, or exported from design tools — arrive without page numbers. Adding them after the fact used to require expensive software like Adobe Acrobat. Now you can do it for free, right in your browser.
Formatting Options
PDFTaco gives you several ways to format your page numbers:
- Plain numbers — Simple and clean: 1, 2, 3. Works well for most documents.
- Page X of Y — Shows the current page and total count: "Page 1 of 12". Helpful when readers need to know how long the document is.
- Dashes — Wraps the number in dashes: - 1 -, - 2 -. A common style for manuscripts and book drafts.
- Brackets — Square brackets around the number: [1], [2]. Popular in technical and legal documents.
You can also choose the font size to match your document's style. Smaller numbers stay out of the way, while larger ones are easier to spot when flipping through pages.
Positioning Options
Where the page numbers appear is just as important as how they look. PDFTaco lets you place them in any of six positions:
- Bottom center — The most common position. Standard for reports, articles, and general documents.
- Bottom left or bottom right — Good for documents that will be bound or stapled on one side.
- Top center — Less common but useful for certain legal or academic formats.
- Top left or top right — Works well for headers-style numbering.
You can pick the combination that matches your document's layout and binding requirements.
How to Add Page Numbers with PDFTaco
- Open the Page Numbers tool — Visit pdftaco.com/tools/page-numbers.
- Upload your PDF — Drag and drop the file you want to number.
- Choose your format — Select from plain numbers, Page X of Y, dashes, or brackets.
- Pick the position — Decide where on the page the numbers should appear.
- Adjust the start number — By default, numbering starts at 1, but you can set a different starting number if your document is part of a larger set.
- Click Add Page Numbers — PDFTaco processes the file and adds numbers to every page.
- Download the result — Your numbered PDF is ready.
All processing happens locally in your browser. Your document is never uploaded to a server, so confidential materials stay private.
Tips for Better Results
- Check your margins. If your PDF has narrow margins, the page numbers might overlap with existing content. Choose a position that has enough empty space.
- Preview before downloading. Take a quick look at the output to make sure the numbers are positioned well and the font size works with your layout.
- Skip the cover page. If your document has a title page that should not be numbered, use the Split tool to separate it first, add numbers to the remaining pages, then merge them back together.
Adding page numbers to a PDF takes just a few seconds with PDFTaco. No software, no cost, no watermarks — just clean, professional numbering on every page.