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How to Insert and Configure Page Numbering in PDF Documents

Introduction

Adding page numbers to PDF documents can be very useful for navigation and reference purposes. Page numbers allow readers to quickly flip to specific pages and sections. They also make citing pages in academic papers, reports, etc. much easier.

Fortunately, adding page numbers to PDFs is easy with the right software. This article will teach you how to insert page numbers into PDFs using Adobe Acrobat, the industry standard software for authoring and editing PDF files. We’ll also cover how to customize the page numbering style, starting number, page range, and more.

Prerequisites

To follow along with this tutorial, you’ll need:

  • Adobe Acrobat DC or Adobe Acrobat Pro DC installed on your computer. The free Adobe Acrobat Reader will not work.
  • A PDF document to add page numbers to.

Step 1: Open the PDF

First, launch Adobe Acrobat and open the PDF document you want to add page numbers to. You can do this by going to File > Open and selecting the PDF.

Step 2: Enable Editing

By default, PDFs opened in Acrobat have editing disabled. To add page numbers, you need to enable editing:

  1. Click on the Tools tab in the top menu ribbon
  2. Click Edit PDF in the right-hand pane to enable editing mode

Step 3: Add Headers and Footers

With editing mode enabled, you can now add headers and footers to your PDF. Headers and footers allow you to insert text, images, page numbers, etc. in the top and bottom margins on your pages.

To add headers and footers:

  1. Click on Header & Footer in the Edit PDF toolbar
  2. Click Add
  3. An “Add Headers and Footers” dialog box will appear

Step 4: Insert Page Numbers

Now it’s time to insert the page numbers:

  1. Click inside any header or footer text field
  2. Click the Insert Page Number button in the middle of the dialog box
  3. Page numbers with the default formatting will be inserted into the header/footer

Step 5: Customize Page Numbering

If you want to customize the page numbering style, starting number, included pages, etc. there are a few options:

Change Style

To change the numbering style (Arabic, Roman numerals, etc.):

  1. Click the Page Number Format button
  2. Select a numbering style under Format
  3. Click OK

Change Starting Number

To change the starting number:

  1. Click the Page Number Format button
  2. Enter a custom start number under Start
  3. Click OK

For example, enter “5” to start numbering at 5 instead of 1.

Select Included Pages

By default, page numbers are added to all pages. To selective include/exclude pages:

  1. Click the Page Range Options link
  2. Choose an option under Subset
    • All Pages
    • Odd pages only
    • Even pages only
    • Select range
  3. Click OK

Step 6: Save and Apply Page Numbers

Once you are happy with the page number settings, click OK to close the Add Headers and Footers dialog box. The page numbers will be applied immediately.

Save your updated PDF file to make the changes permanent. You’re done! The page numbers will now appear in the header/footer of each page according to your custom configurations.

Additional Tips

Here are some additional useful tips for working with page numbers in PDFs:

  • You can combine page numbers with text, the date, and other elements
  • Update page numbers manually if new pages are added later
  • Create different page numbering schemes within sections of the PDF
  • Align page numbers left, center, or right
  • Adjust margins as needed if numbers overlap content
  • Save custom header/footer settings for reuse

Conclusion

Adding page numbers in PDFs is easy with Adobe Acrobat. You can fully customize the numbering format, starting number, included pages, and more.

Now you know how to insert page numbers to help readers navigate and cite your important PDF documents. Page numbers make PDF files much more usable and professional.

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