--- title: "Bates Numbering PDF Online Free — Bates Stamp | PDFWix" url: https://www.pdfwix.com/bates-numbering description: "Free Bates numbering for PDFs. Add prefix, zero-padded numbers and suffix that continue across multiple files for legal discovery. Processed on your device." lang: en --- Skip to content All tools (https://www.pdfwix.com/) # Bates Numbering PDF Online Free — Bates Stamp Tool Apply sequential Bates numbers with prefix, suffix and zero-padding across one or many PDFs. Free Bates stamping for legal productions, in your browser. Updated July 2026 · Reviewed by the PDFWix Team (https://www.pdfwix.com/about/team) In litigation and discovery, every page produced gets a unique identifier — the Bates number — so both sides and the court can cite exactly 'SMITH000142'. Commercial PDF suites charge for Bates stamping. PDFWix Bates Numbering applies a prefix, a zero-padded sequence and an optional suffix to every page, continuing the count from one document to the next, and processes privileged material entirely on your own device. To Bates number PDFs free: open PDFWix Bates Numbering, add your documents in production order, set the prefix (e.g. SMITH), start number and digits (6 gives SMITH000001), pick a corner, and click Apply Bates numbers. Each file downloads named by its Bates range. 0 of 3 free conversions used today Add documents in production order — numbering continues from one file to the next First stamp: **ABC000001** Your PDF is processed inside this browser tab and never uploaded. The original on your device is left untouched. Want this in your History? Free account keeps your last 30 jobs (filename + tool only — never your files) so you can re-find them later. Create free account →: https://www.pdfwix.com/auth?tab=signup ## Common next steps Header & Footer PDF Add a header and footer with page numbers, file name and date to every PDF page. https://www.pdfwix.com/header-footer-pdf Merge PDF Combine PDFs in the order you want with the easiest PDF merger. https://www.pdfwix.com/merge-pdf Redact PDF Black out sensitive information from a PDF. https://www.pdfwix.com/redact-pdf 🔒 Browser-side processing · Never uploaded · 100% free ## What is Bates numbering? Bates numbering is a method of indexing legal documents with a unique, sequential identifier on every page. It is named after the Bates Automatic Numbering-Machine, a hand stamp patented in the 1890s. A typical Bates number combines a prefix identifying the party or case (SMITH, ACME-PROD), a fixed-width number padded with zeros (000001), and sometimes a suffix such as -CONF for confidential material. Because the sequence continues across the entire production, a Bates number identifies not just a page but its exact place in everything exchanged. That is why order matters: add files in the order they should be produced. Courts and opposing counsel usually expect the stamp in the lower-right corner, clear of existing content — the PDFWix default. ## How to add Bates numbers to a PDF 1. 1 ### Add documents in order Drop all PDFs for the production. Numbering continues from file to file in the order listed. 2. 2 ### Set prefix, start and digits Enter the prefix and optional suffix, the first number and how many digits to pad to. 3. 3 ### Choose a position Bottom-right is standard; bottom-centre, bottom-left and top-right are also available. 4. 4 ### Apply and download Click Apply Bates numbers. Files are named by their Bates range. ## Tips for Bates numbering ### Redact first Always redact with Redact PDF (https://www.pdfwix.com/redact-pdf) before stamping, so numbers match the produced version. ### Continue a previous production Set the start number to one after the last page of the earlier set. ### Keep padding consistent Use the same number of digits for the whole matter so numbers sort correctly. ### One file option Want one production PDF? Merge PDF (https://www.pdfwix.com/merge-pdf) the numbered files afterwards. Continues across files Numbering 1–10 digits Padding 100% in your browser Processing Results measured on a sample of 500 PDFs across scanned documents, photo portfolios, and office reports. ## Bates numbering options compared | Tool | Cost | Multi-file sequence | Documents uploaded | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | PDFWix Bates Numbering | Free | ✓ Yes | ✗ No — on your device | | Adobe Acrobat Pro | Paid subscription | ✓ Yes | ✗ No | | Litigation support platforms | Per-matter fees | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | | Manual stamping | Staff time | Error-prone | ✗ No | Tools commonly used to Bates stamp PDFs. ## Why use PDFWix to bates-number PDFs? Privileged and confidential documents should not be uploaded just to be numbered. - **Keeps privilege safe.** Files never leave your computer, which matters for privileged and protected discovery material. - **True continuous sequence.** The counter carries across every document you add, exactly like a production set. - **Range-named files.** Each output is named ABC000001-ABC000045.pdf, ready for a production index. - **Free.** No per-page fees, no subscription and no watermark. Redact before you number: use Redact PDF (https://www.pdfwix.com/redact-pdf) to remove privileged text, then Bates stamp the production here. Need a confidentiality line on every page too? Add it with Header & Footer PDF (https://www.pdfwix.com/header-footer-pdf). For simple page counts use Page Numbers (https://www.pdfwix.com/page-numbers). ## Common uses for bates-numbering PDFs - Numbering discovery productions for litigation - Stamping exhibits for depositions and hearings - Indexing due-diligence data-room documents - Labelling insurance claim and medical record bundles - Numbering regulatory and audit submissions ## Frequently asked questions ### What is a Bates number? A unique, sequential identifier stamped on every page of legal documents, such as SMITH000001, used to reference pages in litigation and discovery. ### How do I add Bates numbers to a PDF for free? Open PDFWix Bates Numbering, add the PDFs, set a prefix and start number and click Apply Bates numbers. ### Does numbering continue across multiple PDFs? Yes. The counter continues from one file to the next in the order you added them. ### Where should Bates numbers go? Usually the lower-right corner, clear of text. PDFWix also offers bottom-centre, bottom-left and top-right. ### Can I add a suffix like CONFIDENTIAL? Yes. Type it in the Suffix box, e.g. -CONF. ### Are my documents uploaded? No. Bates stamping runs entirely in your browser. ## More PDF tools ### Header & Footer PDF ### Merge PDF ### Redact PDF ### Page Numbers Add page numbers into PDFs with ease. https://www.pdfwix.com/page-numbers ## Related PDF tools Header & Footer PDF: https://www.pdfwix.com/header-footer-pdf Merge PDF: https://www.pdfwix.com/merge-pdf Redact PDF: https://www.pdfwix.com/redact-pdf Page Numbers: https://www.pdfwix.com/page-numbers Split PDF: https://www.pdfwix.com/split-pdf Remove Pages: https://www.pdfwix.com/remove-pages ## Structured data ```json [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "WebApplication", "@id": "https://www.pdfwix.com/bates-numbering#app", "name": "Bates Numbering — PDFWix", "applicationCategory": "UtilitiesApplication", "applicationSubCategory": "PDFApplication", "operatingSystem": "Any — runs in browser on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android", "browserRequirements": "Requires a modern web browser", "offers": { "@type": "Offer", "price": "0", "priceCurrency": "USD", "description": "100% free online browser tool" }, "aggregateRating": { "@type": "AggregateRating", "ratingValue": "4.5", "ratingCount": "1067", "bestRating": "5", "worstRating": "1" }, "description": "Free Bates numbering for PDFs. 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