Add Header & Footer
Stamp custom text at the top and bottom of every page. Supports page numbers and date variables.
How to Add Page Numbers and Headers to a PDF — Free, No Upload
LovelyPDF adds text headers and footers to every page of your PDF using pdf-lib. You can place text in six positions: left, centre, and right for both header and footer. Three dynamic variables are supported: {{page}} inserts the current page number, {{total}} inserts the total page count, and {{date}} inserts today's date. All six positions are independent and optional — fill only the ones you need.
Adding page numbers before submitting documents is one of those small but critical requirements in Indian bureaucratic and professional life. High Court and tribunal filings require a page number at the bottom of every page in a specific position — typically centred or bottom-right. NCLT and NCLAT require page-numbered paper books as part of the brief. Academic project reports for universities like Mumbai University and VTU specify page numbering formats in the submission guidelines, often requiring "Page X of Y" in the footer. Company secretaries assembling board meeting minutes and share transfer documents need sequential pagination across a compiled bundle. LovelyPDF applies the correct page number to each page automatically in one step.
How to Add Headers and Footers to Your PDF
- Upload your PDF by clicking or dragging it onto the tool
- Type the text you want in each header or footer position — leave unused positions blank
- Use
{{page}}for page number,{{total}}for total pages,{{date}}for today's date - Choose font size and adjust margin offsets if needed
- Click Apply Header & Footer and download the numbered PDF
Typical Page Numbering Formats
For most report submissions, the centred footer {{page}} gives a simple "1", "2", "3" format. For court filings that require "Page 1 of 15" style, use Page {{page}} of {{total}} in the centred footer position. For internal reports you can put your company name or document title in the left header and the date in the right header, with page numbers centred in the footer. Combine header text freely — the tool doesn't require all positions to be filled.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I add headers to all pages except the cover page?
The tool applies headers and footers to every page. To skip the cover page, use Split PDF to extract it, add headers to the remaining pages, then Merge PDF to reassemble with the cover at the front.
What fonts are available for headers and footers?
Helvetica, Times New Roman, and Courier — the three standard PDF fonts supported across all PDF viewers without embedding. Hindi and regional language text is not supported as these fonts only contain Latin characters.
My document already has headers — will this overwrite them?
No. The tool adds new text on top of existing content. It does not detect or remove existing headers. If your document already has headers and you add new ones, both will appear. Use Crop & Resize to trim excess margin first if needed.
Can I start page numbering from a number other than 1?
Currently page numbers start from 1 for the first page of the uploaded document. For documents that are part of a larger series starting at a different number, add headers to the full merged document using Merge PDF first.
Related tools: Watermark PDF · Page Manager · Merge PDF