Quick answer: to add a header and footer to a PDF, open the file on this page, type your text into the left, centre or right boxes for the top and bottom of the page, and press Add & download. Use {page} and {pages} for “Page 3 of 12”, and {date} for today's date. The preview shows exactly where everything goes. Nothing is uploaded.
Key facts
- Price: free, with no account, no watermark and no page limit.
- Six positions, fine-tuned by dragging: left, centre and right in both the header and the footer. Drag any text on the preview to move it; the new position is used on every page.
- Automatic fields: page number, total pages, date, file name and document title.
- Your pages stay untouched: the text is added on top as real PDF text. Nothing is re-rendered, so quality, links and selectable text stay the same.
- Privacy: the PDF is edited on your device and never uploaded.
How to add a header and footer to a PDF
- Open your PDF. Click Select PDF file or drop the file on the page. The first page appears with a ready-made example.
- Type your header and footer. Fill in any of the six boxes, or start from a quick-start layout such as Report or Confidential. Insert page numbers, the date or the file name with one click.
- Adjust the style and position. Pick Helvetica, Times New Roman or Courier, bold or italic, the size and colour. Drag any header or footer text on the preview to exactly where you want it, or use the margin sliders. Add a thin dividing line if you like.
- Choose pages. Leave the page box empty for every page, type a range such as 2-10, or skip the cover page.
- Download. Press Add & download. The new file ends in “-header-footer”, and your original stays unchanged.
What can I put in a header or footer?
| Type this | You get | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
Page {page} of {pages} | Page 3 of 12 | Reports, contracts, manuals |
{page} | 3 | Books, theses, simple numbering |
{date} | 6 November 2026 | Drafts, minutes, printed records |
{file} | Your file name | Keeping printed pages traceable |
{title} | The document title (or file name) | Running heads on every page |
| Any text | CONFIDENTIAL, Draft v2, Company Ltd | Labels, versions, branding |
You can combine fields and text freely, for example “Q3 Report · {date}” on the left and “{page} / {pages}” on the right.
When a header and footer help
- Business reports and proposals: the company name at the top and “Page X of Y” at the bottom look professional and show the reader nothing is missing.
- Contracts and legal documents: page numbers with the total make it easy to check that every page is present. For court and discovery numbering, use Bates Numbering.
- University work: many departments ask for your name, student number or course code on every page.
- Merged files: after merging PDFs, a new footer gives the combined document one clean, continuous page count.
- Drafts and reviews: a “DRAFT – {date}” header stops old printouts from being mistaken for the final version.
Header and footer vs page numbers vs watermark
A header and footer is small text in the top and bottom margins, and it can hold anything: titles, dates, names and page numbers. If all you need is a number, Add Page Numbers has more numbering styles, such as Roman numerals. A watermark is large, usually semi-transparent text across the middle of the page, used to mark a file as a copy or protect it.
Tips for a clean result
- Check the margin. Some PDFs have text very close to the edge. Use the preview arrows to look at a few pages and move the header and footer with the sliders so nothing overlaps.
- Keep it short. Headers and footers work best at 8–11 pt. Long sentences in the centre may collide with left and right text.
- Skip the cover. Tick Skip the first page so the title page stays clean and numbering begins on the next page.
- Rotated and landscape pages are handled automatically: the text always reads the right way up.
Privacy and security
Your PDF is opened and edited inside your browser. It is not sent to a server, stored or seen by anyone, so it is safe for contracts, HR files and client documents. No sign-up is needed and nothing else is added to your file.
Good to know
- Standard fonts: the text uses the built-in PDF fonts (Helvetica, Times and Courier). They cover English and most Western European letters. Characters such as Urdu, Arabic, Chinese or emoji cannot be drawn with them and are left out; the tool warns you if that happens.
- Existing headers are not removed. The new text is added on top of the page. If the PDF already has a header in the same place, move yours with the margin slider.
- Password-protected PDFs must be unlocked first with Unlock PDF.
Frequently asked questions
How do I add a header and footer to a PDF for free?
Open the PDF on this page, type your text in the header and footer boxes and press Add & download. It is free, with no sign-up and no watermark.
How do I add “Page 1 of 10” to a PDF?
Type Page {page} of {pages} in any footer box, or pick the Report quick start. The tool replaces the codes with the right numbers on each page.
Can I add a header without Adobe Acrobat?
Yes. This tool works in any modern browser on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iPhone, with nothing to install.
Is my PDF uploaded to a server?
No. The header and footer are added in your browser on your own device, so the file is never uploaded or stored.
Can I leave the first page without a header?
Yes. Tick Skip the first page. You can also type a page range such as 3-20 to add the header and footer only to those pages.
Will the quality of my PDF change?
No. The pages are not redrawn. The header and footer are added as real text on top, so images, text and links stay exactly as they were.
Can I change the font, size and colour?
Yes. Choose Helvetica, Times New Roman or Courier, bold or italic, any size from 6 to 24 pt, any colour and the distance from the edges.
Can I move the header or footer to a custom position?
Yes. Drag the text on the live preview to any place on the page. The same position is used on every page, and Reset position puts it back.
Can I add the date to every page?
Yes. Insert {date} into any box and today's date appears on every page in your local date format.
Does it work with scanned PDFs?
Yes. The header and footer are added on top of scanned pages too, and the text you add is real, searchable text.
How do I remove a header and footer later?
Keep your original file, because it is never changed. Text added by any tool becomes part of the page, so the easiest way to remove it is to go back to the original.
Can I add a header in Urdu or Arabic?
Not yet. The built-in PDF fonts only cover Latin letters, so non-Latin characters are left out. A workaround is to add the text as an image with Add Text or Image to PDF.
Does it work on my phone?
Yes. It works in Chrome, Safari, Samsung Internet and other modern browsers on Android and iPhone.