Files never leave your device.How it works
How to add a header and footer
- 1Drop your PDF above (or click to select).
- 2Type text into any of the six slots — header/footer × left/center/right.
- 3Use {page}, {total}, {date}, {time} where you want those values, then apply and download.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I show the page number?
- Yes. Type {page} for the current page and {total} for the page count — for example, {page} / {total} in the footer center.
- Does my file get uploaded?
- No. The text is drawn onto your PDF entirely in your browser — nothing leaves your device.
- Can I number from a custom start?
- Yes. Set the first page number, and {page} counts up from there across the document.
Consistent running heads
Reports, contracts, and manuals read better with a header and footer on every page — a title up top, a page count at the bottom, a date in the corner. This tool gives you all six positions (header and footer, each with a left, center, and right slot) and stamps them onto the whole document at once.
Dynamic placeholders
Type {page}, {total}, {date}, or {time} anywhere in a slot and each is filled in per page: {page} / {total} becomes 3 / 12, and {date} uses your local date at the moment you run the tool. Set the starting number if your document shouldn't begin at 1.
Notes and limits
Text is drawn in Helvetica at your chosen size and runs entirely on your machine. For a diagonal or translucent overlay across the page instead, use Watermark; to number pages only, use Page Numbers.
How placeholders resolve
The {page}, {total}, {date}, and {time} tokens aren't literal text — HivePDF scans each slot for them and substitutes the real value as it writes each page, so {page} of {total} becomes a different string on every single page of the output while the template you typed stays the same. The date and time reflect the moment you run the tool, taken from your device's clock, not a fixed value baked in ahead of time.
Where it fits with other tools
Add headers and footers after you've finalized the page order and count — run Organize or Merge first, since {total} reflects however many pages exist at the moment you apply it, and adding or removing pages afterward won't update numbers already drawn into the file.
Typical use
Law firms put a matter name and confidentiality notice in the footer of every filing, academic papers show a running header with the paper's short title, and internal reports stamp a footer with the generation date so nobody accidentally works from a stale printout. Six independent slots mean a document title on the left, a status like "Draft" in the center, and {page} / {total} on the right can all live in the same footer without crowding each other.