Stamp a running header and footer on every page of a PDF: a title on the left, the date in the middle, Page 3 of 12 on the right, or any mix. Smart tokens fill in the page number, total, date and file name, and a live preview shows each page before you download.
Insert:
Style & position
Pages & numbering
Preview
Page 1
Choose a PDF to get started. The preview shows a sample page until then.
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How to use the Add Header and Footer to PDF
Open your PDF by dropping it on the box or clicking Choose PDF.
Type the header and footer text into the left, center and right boxes. Click a token such as {page} to insert it where the cursor is.
Adjust the style: font, size, color, margins and an optional separator line. Use the arrows above the preview to check other pages.
Choose the pages: all pages, a range, or skip the first page, and set the first page number.
Press Add header & footer and download to save the new PDF.
Tokens you can use
Tokens are replaced separately on every page. Mix them with any text you like.
Token
Becomes
Example on page 3 of 12
{page}
Current page number (starting at your First {page} number)
3
{total}
Last page number that is printed, or the total you enter
12
{date}
Today's date in the chosen format
2026-10-20
{time}
Current time (24-hour clock)
14:05
{filename}
File name without the .pdf extension
annual-report
Popular combinations: Page {page} of {total} in the footer, {filename} or a company name in the header, Confidential · {date} for drafts, and {page} alone on the outer edge for books.
Margins and sizes in points
PDF measurements use points: 1 pt = 1/72 inch ≈ 0.353 mm. The top margin is measured from the top edge to the top of the header text, the bottom margin from the bottom edge to the footer's baseline, and the side margin from the left or right edge to the start or end of the text.
Points
Millimetres
Inches
Typical use
18 pt
6.4 mm
0.25 in
Tight margin, slides and screenshots
28 pt
9.9 mm
0.39 in
Default, fits inside most printers' safe area
36 pt
12.7 mm
0.5 in
Common for reports and letters
72 pt
25.4 mm
1 in
Aligned with standard 1-inch body margins
Most office printers cannot print closer than about 4–6 mm (12–17 pt) to the edge, so keep margins above that if the document will be printed. Body text is usually 10–12 pt; 8–9 pt keeps headers and footers readable but unobtrusive.
Header and footer vs. page numbers only
If all you need is a page number, Add Page Numbers to PDF offers extra formats such as Roman numerals. To mark every page diagonally with DRAFT or CONFIDENTIAL, use Watermark PDF.
Frequently asked questions
How do I add a header or footer to a PDF?
Open the PDF, type your text into the header or footer boxes (left, center or right) and press Add header & footer and download. The text is drawn on every page at the margin you chose, and the preview shows exactly where it lands.
How do I add Page 1 of N to the footer?
Type Page {page} of {total} into a footer box. {page} becomes the current page number and {total} the last page number that is printed, so a 12-page document reads Page 1 of 12 through Page 12 of 12. If you skip the cover, the total adjusts automatically, or you can set it yourself.
Which tokens can I use?
{page} is the page number, {total} the total number of numbered pages, {date} today's date in the format you choose, {time} the current time and {filename} the PDF's file name without .pdf. Tokens can be mixed with normal text, for example Draft · {filename} · {date}.
Will the header cover existing text?
The text is drawn on top of the page, so if the PDF already has content near the edge it may overlap. Increase the top or bottom margin, reduce the font size or check the preview before downloading. 1 point is 1/72 inch, so the default 28 pt margin is about 10 mm.
Why do some characters turn into question marks?
The tool uses the 14 standard PDF fonts, which support Western European characters (the Windows-1252 set). Characters outside it, such as Chinese, Cyrillic or emoji, cannot be drawn with these fonts and are replaced by ? so the file stays valid.
Does it work with landscape and rotated pages?
Yes. Each page's size and rotation are read separately, so the header always appears along the top edge as the page is displayed, even in documents that mix portrait and landscape pages.
Is my PDF uploaded?
No. The PDF is edited in your browser with pdf-lib and previewed with pdf.js. The file never leaves your device.