Add Header & Footer
Stamp a header and/or footer on every page. Use {page} and {pages} for numbering. Runs in your browser.
About Header & Footer
Header & Footer stamps your own text along the top or bottom of every page — a document title, a case reference, a company name, a confidentiality notice, or page numbers using the {page} and {pages} placeholders. It runs in your browser, free and with no watermark.
Headers and footers are what let a page stand on its own once it leaves the document. Printed reports get photocopied, split up and passed around, and a loose sheet with nothing on it but body text is impossible to place. A running header carrying the document title and date means anyone holding one page knows what it belongs to and which version it is.
In professional settings the requirement is often formal rather than helpful. Legal filings need a case number on every page, tender submissions need a bid reference, regulated industries need a document control code and revision number, and internal papers need a classification marking. These get added after a document is assembled from several sources, which is precisely when the original files no longer share a consistent header.
How to add a header or footer to a PDF
- Select the PDF you want to stamp.
- Type your header text, your footer text, or both.
- Insert {page} where you want the current page number and {pages} for the total.
- Set the position and font size, and check they clear your existing content.
- Download the updated PDF.
Tips & common problems
Use {page} of {pages} for printed documents
Writing "Page {page} of {pages}" renders as "Page 3 of 24", which tells a reader immediately whether the copy in their hand is complete.
Check for collisions with existing content
Documents that already carry running heads will end up with two overlapping lines. Preview a page and adjust the position or margin before committing.
Keep it short
Long header text wraps or runs off the page edge. A title and a date is plenty — this is a label, not a summary.
Stamp after assembling
Add headers once the document is final. Merging stamped files together produces inconsistent numbering, because each part still carries its own sequence.
Frequently asked questions
How do I add a header or footer to a PDF for free?
Type your text, choose a position and download the result. No signup, no watermark and nothing uploaded.
Can I include page numbers?
Yes. Use {page} for the current page and {pages} for the total, so "Page {page} of {pages}" becomes "Page 7 of 32" on each sheet.
Can I have a header and a footer at the same time?
Yes, both can be set independently with their own text — a title along the top and a reference or page number along the bottom is the usual combination.
Will the text overlap my content?
It is placed in the margin, but documents with very tight margins or existing running heads can collide. Preview before downloading and shift the position if needed.
Can I apply it to only some pages?
The stamp is applied across the document for consistency, which is the point of a running header. To exclude a cover page, split it off first, stamp the rest and merge them back.
Are my files uploaded?
No. This runs entirely in your browser and the document never leaves your device.