Files never leave your device.How it works
How to add page numbers to a PDF
- 1Drop your PDF above (or click to select).
- 2Choose the position (e.g. bottom center), the format, and the starting number.
- 3Click Add page numbers, then download the numbered PDF.
Frequently asked questions
- Do my files get uploaded anywhere?
- No. Page numbers are added entirely in your browser — your PDF never leaves your device.
- Can I start numbering from a specific number?
- Yes. Set the starting number — useful when your document is a chapter that continues from an earlier file, or when a cover page shouldn't count as page 1.
- Where can the numbers go?
- Any of six positions: the left, center, or right of the top or bottom margin. Bottom center is the default.
Number a document the simple way
Page numbers make a long PDF easy to reference, print, and hand out — “see page 12” only works if there's a 12 on the page. HivePDF adds them to every page in your browser, with nothing uploaded, so even a private document stays on your device while you number it.
Position, format, and starting count
Choose where the number sits — any corner or the center of the top or bottom margin — and how it reads: a plain number, a “3 / 10” count, or “Page 3 of 10”. Set the starting number too, so a cover or title page doesn't have to be page 1. The numbers are drawn straight into the saved PDF, so they show in every reader.
Good to know
Because it runs locally, your file never touches a server. To combine several files before numbering them as one, use Merge; to reorder pages first, use Organize.
How numbers are drawn
Page numbers are text drawn directly into each page's content stream at render time, not an editable annotation, so they display identically in every reader and survive being flattened, printed, or converted to an image. Because the position and format are calculated per page as the file is written, applying numbers to a 500-page document takes about the same time as a 5-page one.
Where it fits in a workflow
Number the pages after you've settled the final structure, not before: if you still need to reorder, duplicate, or remove pages with Organize, do that first, or the numbers you added will end up out of sequence. The same goes for merging — combine files with Merge before numbering if you want one continuous sequence across what used to be separate documents.
Common cases
Legal filings and long reports often need the count visible for cross-referencing, academic papers restart numbering after a title page and table of contents, and multi-volume sets continue counting from where the previous volume left off using a custom starting number.