Insert PDF page numbers: position, style and start number

1 min read·25 July 2026

Professional PDFs have page numbers. Whether it's a report, thesis or proposal — page numbers make a document navigable and professional. Add them for free in your browser with PDFrust.

Why add page numbers?

Without page numbers, a long PDF is hard to navigate. Readers, reviewers and printers refer to page numbers. In a report or thesis they're a standard requirement. When printing, they help maintain order if pages get mixed up.

Choose position: header or footer?

Header places the number at the top — common in legal documents and magazines. Footer is the most common position for reports and theses. You can also align left, centre or right. Books use alternating left/right for facing pages.

Add page numbers

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Set the starting number

Sometimes you want page numbers to start from page 2 (title page without number), or you're continuing from a previous document. PDFrust lets you set the starting number so numbering stays consistent when combining multiple files.

Customise the style

Choose font, size and colour. Subtle grey numbers suit most documents. Black is the standard and always looks clean. Larger text for presentations, smaller for reports with tight margins.

After adding numbers

Download the numbered PDF and check the first and last page. Make sure the position doesn't overlap existing text or logos.