# Add page numbers to a PDF Source: https://www.mergevanta.com/add-page-numbers Updated: 2026-10-22 > Add page numbers to a PDF online for free, with no watermark and no sign-up. Choose the corner, format and first number — your file never leaves your device. Number the pages of any PDF in the corner you choose, in formats like “Page 3 of 12”. Skip the cover, start from any number and mirror numbers for printed books. It all runs in your browser, so your file never leaves your device. ## How do I add page numbers to a PDF for free? Open Mergevanta's Add page numbers tool, choose your PDF, tap the corner where numbers should go and pick a format such as “Page 1 of 12”. The live preview shows each number on the real page. Press Add page numbers to download the result — free, with no watermark, and the file never leaves your browser. ## Key facts - **Price:** Free - **Watermark:** None - **Sign-up:** Not required - **Accepts:** .pdf - **You get:** A numbered .pdf - **Processing:** In your browser — files never leave your device - **Files stored:** Never - **Works on:** Windows, macOS, Linux, iPhone, iPad and Android ## Why use Mergevanta - **Live preview on your pages:** See exactly where each number lands, page by page, before you save. Sideways and landscape pages are handled for you. - **The formats people use:** Choose 1, Page 1, 1 / 12, Page 1 of 12 or - 1 -, or type your own wording with {n} for the number and {total} for the last one. - **Skip covers, start anywhere:** Leave the cover unnumbered, number just a range of pages, or start counting from any number to continue a longer document. - **Never leaves your device:** Numbers are added in your browser, so the PDF isn't uploaded anywhere, and everything already on the page stays exactly as it was. ## How to use it 1. Press Choose PDF and pick the file you want to number. 2. Under Position, tap the spot where the numbers should go — turn on Mirror for facing pages for a printed book. 3. Pick a Format, then choose Pages to number: All pages, Skip first page or Page range. 4. Set the First number, Font, Size, Color and Distance from the edge while the preview updates. 5. Press Add page numbers, then Download your numbered PDF. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is my PDF uploaded when I add page numbers? No. Mergevanta adds the numbers in your browser, so the file never leaves your device and nothing is stored. There's no size limit beyond your device's memory, and it works on iPhone, iPad and Android browsers too. ### Will the numbers sit in the right corner on rotated or landscape pages? Yes. Positions are measured on the page as you see it, so “bottom right” is the bottom right of every page — including pages saved sideways or with page boxes that don't start at zero — and the numbers are always upright. ### Can I skip the cover page or start from a different number? Yes. Choose Skip first page to leave the cover blank, or Page range to number only some pages. First number is the number on the first numbered page, and the rest count up from it; {total} is the last number used. ### Can I write my own format, or use another language? Yes. Choose Custom and type a format such as “Page {n} of {total}”. Latin text is added as real PDF text. Characters the standard PDF fonts don't include — Hindi, Arabic or Chinese, for example — are added as sharp images of the text, which look the same but can't be selected. ### Does adding page numbers change the quality of my PDF? No. The numbers are drawn on top of the existing pages; the text, images and fonts already there are left exactly as they were. ### Can I number a password-protected PDF? Yes, if you know its password: the tool asks for it and uses it only in your browser tab. The numbered copy is saved without a password, so use [Protect PDF](https://www.mergevanta.com/protect-pdf) if it needs one again. ### How do mirrored page numbers work? With Mirror for facing pages on, numbers placed on the left or right swap sides on even pages. In a printed, double-sided book that keeps every number on the outer edge of the page. ## Related tools - [Merge PDF](https://www.mergevanta.com/merge-pdf) - [Add watermark](https://www.mergevanta.com/add-watermark) - [Organize PDF](https://www.mergevanta.com/organize-pdf)