Add Page Numbers to a PDF Without Breaking Links

Page numbers look trivial until a stamp lands on top of a footer, a signature or a QR code. The safe approach is to add numbers as a separate layer and keep the original content untouched.

Why numbers sometimes break a document

• The stamp covers existing footer text
• The overlay is scaled, so numbers land off-centre
• Digital signatures are invalidated because the file changed
• Links near the margin become unclickable

Pick a position with room

Bottom centre is safe for most documents. If the footer already has content, use top right. Check page 1 and the last page before publishing — those are the ones people notice.

How to add numbers

1. 1Open Add Page Numbers to PDF.
2. 2Upload the file.
3. 3Choose the position and the starting number (useful when the cover should not count).
4. 4Download and open the result at 100% zoom to confirm placement.

Numbering after reordering

If you plan to move pages around, reorder first and number second. Numbering a document and then shuffling it leaves the numbers out of sequence.

Frequently asked questions

Can I start numbering from a page other than 1?

Yes — set the starting number. It applies to the first page in the file, so if the cover must stay unnumbered, extract or reorder it first.

Will the file size change much?

Only by the size of the overlay, a few kilobytes per page.

Does it work on scanned PDFs?

Yes. The overlay is added on top of the page image; no text layer is required.