Add Header and Footer to PDF
Add text headers and footers with page numbers, dates and the file name — in six positions, on the pages you choose.
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How to Add a Header and Footer to a PDF
Headers and footers are the quiet details that make a document look finished: the report title at the top of every page, "Page 3 of 12" at the bottom, a "Confidential" notice, the date it was issued. Word processors add them easily, but once a file is a PDF — a merged bundle, a scan, an export from another app — they usually have to be added afterwards. PDFDoco lets you place text in any of six positions, fill it with page numbers, dates and the file name, and check every page in a live preview. It all runs in your browser, so the document never leaves your device.
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Upload your PDF
Choose the document. The first page appears in a live preview straight away.
- 2
Type your header and footer
Fill any of the six boxes — left, center or right, top or bottom — and insert tokens like page number or date.
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Style and position it
Pick the font, size, color and distance from the edge, then choose which pages get it.
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Download
Your text is added to the pages you chose and the new PDF downloads immediately.
Live, page-by-page preview
Flip through pages to check odd and even layouts, skipped pages and long text before you download.
Ready for double-sided printing
Mirror left and right text on even pages so page numbers always sit on the outer edge.
Private by design
Everything happens in your browser. Your PDF is never uploaded to a server.
Tokens: page numbers, totals, dates and file names
Type ordinary text and drop in tokens where the details should go. {page} becomes each page's number, {total} the number of pages, {date} today's date in the format you choose (2026-11-03, 11/03/2026, 3 November 2026 and more) and {filename} the name of the file.
Combine them freely: "Confidential — Page {page} of {total}", "{filename} · {date}" or "Draft {date}". If you only need numbering, our Add Page Numbers tool is quicker, and legal teams stamping exhibit IDs should use Bates Numbering.
Choosing pages: covers, sections and ranges
Most documents shouldn't have a header on the cover. Tick "Skip the first page", or type a range such as "3-20", "2, 4, 6" or "5-" (page 5 to the end) to add text only where it belongs. Numbers still follow the page's real position in the file, and "First page is number" shifts the count — set it to 0 and the page after the cover becomes page 1, matching a printed table of contents.
Headers for double-sided printing
In a bound document, odd pages sit on the right and even pages on the left. With "Mirror on even pages" turned on, text you put in a left or right box swaps sides on even pages, so page numbers and running titles always appear on the outer edge where readers look when flipping through. Step through the preview to see odd and even pages before you print.
Common uses
- Business reports and proposals: company or project name in the header, page X of Y in the footer.
- Contracts and HR documents: "Confidential" on every page and a version date, so printed copies can be traced.
- Theses and coursework: student name or course code in the header and page numbers that skip the title page.
- Merged bundles: after combining files with Merge PDF, add one consistent footer across the whole set.
Placing text where it won't cover content
The two margin sliders set how far the text sits from the top and bottom edges and from the sides. Office documents usually have 15–25 mm of white space, so the defaults sit comfortably inside it; scans and slides with content close to the edge may need a smaller margin or a smaller font. The text is placed inside the visible area of each page, so it lands correctly on landscape, rotated and cropped pages too.
Real text, not an image
Your header and footer are written as vector text in a standard PDF font (Helvetica, Times or Courier, with bold and italic). It stays crisp when zoomed or printed, can be searched and copied, and adds only a few kilobytes. Nothing else in the file is re-rendered, so the rest of your pages keep their original quality, links and bookmarks.
Pro tip: step through the preview with the arrows — the last page shows the longest "Page X of Y" text, and even pages show where mirrored text will land.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I add a header and footer to a PDF?
Upload the PDF, type your text into any of the six boxes (left, center and right for both the header and the footer), adjust font, size, color and margins while watching the live preview, then click Add Header & Footer. The new PDF downloads automatically.
How do I add "Page 1 of 10" to every page?
Type Page {page} of {total} into the footer box you want, or tap the "Page X of Y" preset. {page} becomes the number of each page and {total} the number of pages in the document. You can mix tokens with your own words, for example "Confidential — Page {page} of {total}".
Can I leave the header off the cover page?
Yes. Turn on "Skip the first page" to leave the cover clean, or type a page range such as 3-20 to add the text only to those pages. Page numbers still count from the start of the file; change "First page is number" if you want counting to start elsewhere — for example 0, so the page after the cover is page 1.
What does mirroring on even pages do?
For documents printed double-sided and bound like a book, text on the outer edge is easiest to see. With mirroring on, anything in the left or right box swaps sides on even pages, so it is on the right of odd pages and the left of even pages. Centered text never moves.
Will the header and footer text be searchable?
Yes. The text is added as real PDF text in a standard font, not as an image, so it stays sharp at any zoom and can be selected, copied and found with search. The rest of your pages are not changed or re-compressed.
Does it work with landscape, rotated or cropped pages?
Yes. Every page is measured individually and the text is placed upright inside the visible part of the page, so it lands correctly on portrait, landscape, rotated and cropped pages in the same document.
Why do some characters show as a question mark?
Headers use the standard PDF fonts (Helvetica, Times and Courier), which cover English and Western European letters, numbers and common symbols such as — and €. Characters outside that set, such as emoji or Chinese, Arabic or Cyrillic letters, can't be drawn with these fonts and are replaced. The tool warns you before you download.