--- title: "Add Header and Footer to PDF Online — Free | PDFWix" url: https://www.pdfwix.com/header-footer-pdf description: "Add header and footer to PDF online free. Stamp page numbers, file name, date or custom text on every page, left, centre or right. Batch files, never uploaded." lang: en --- Skip to content All tools (https://www.pdfwix.com/) # Add Header and Footer to PDF Online Free Add a header and footer to every page of a PDF — page numbers, file name, date or any text, aligned left, centre or right. Free, in your browser. Updated July 2026 · Reviewed by the PDFWix Team (https://www.pdfwix.com/about/team) Reports, theses, contracts and board packs usually need the same line at the top or bottom of every page — a document title, a company name, a 'Confidential' marking, the date, or 'Page 3 of 12'. PDFWix Header & Footer PDF stamps that text on every page of one or several PDFs at once, with placeholders for page number, total pages, file name and date, all without uploading your documents. To add a header and footer to a PDF free: open PDFWix Header & Footer PDF, add your PDF, type the header (e.g. {file}) and footer (e.g. Page {n} of {total}), choose alignment and font size, and click Add header & footer. The stamped PDF downloads immediately. 0 of 3 free conversions used today One or more PDFs — the same header and footer go on each Placeholders: `{n}` page number, `{total}` total pages, `{file}` file name, `{date}` today's date. 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 Page Numbers Add page numbers into PDFs with ease. https://www.pdfwix.com/page-numbers Bates Numbering Stamp sequential legal Bates numbers across one or many PDFs. https://www.pdfwix.com/bates-numbering Watermark Stamp an image or text over your PDF. https://www.pdfwix.com/watermark 🔒 Browser-side processing · Never uploaded · 100% free ## Header, footer, page numbers and Bates — what's the difference? A header or footer is repeating text at the top or bottom of each page: a title, author, date, confidentiality marking or page counter. Page numbers are just one kind of footer — if that is all you need, Page Numbers (https://www.pdfwix.com/page-numbers) is quicker. Bates numbers are a legal convention: a unique prefixed sequence like ABC000123 that continues across every document in a production, handled by Bates Numbering (https://www.pdfwix.com/bates-numbering). Word and Google Docs add headers before export, but once a document is a PDF — a scan, a merged pack, a file from someone else — you need a PDF tool. PDFWix writes the text into the page itself, so it prints, survives flattening and shows in every viewer, unlike comments or annotations that some readers hide. ## How to add a header and footer to a PDF 1. 1 ### Add your PDFs Drop one or more PDF files into the upload box. 2. 2 ### Type header and footer Use plain text plus placeholders: {n}, {total}, {file}, {date}. Leave a box empty to skip it. 3. 3 ### Choose alignment and size Left, centre or right, font size 6–36, and optionally skip the cover page. 4. 4 ### Download Click Add header & footer. Several files download as a ZIP or one by one. ## Tips for PDF headers and footers ### Skip the cover Turn on 'Skip the cover page' so the title page stays clean. ### Merge first For one continuous page count across files, Merge PDF (https://www.pdfwix.com/merge-pdf) before stamping. ### Legal productions Need unique IDs across documents? Use Bates Numbering (https://www.pdfwix.com/bates-numbering). ### Lock it in Run Flatten PDF (https://www.pdfwix.com/flatten-pdf) afterwards if the PDF also has form fields to lock. {n} {total} {file} {date} Placeholders Batch supported Files at once 100% in your browser Processing Results measured on a sample of 500 PDFs across scanned documents, photo portfolios, and office reports. ## Ways to add a header to a PDF | Method | Works on existing PDFs | Batch | Cost | Uploads file | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | PDFWix Header & Footer | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | Free | ✗ No | | Adobe Acrobat Pro | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | Paid subscription | ✗ No | | Edit source in Word, re-export | ✗ Needs the source | ✗ No | Office licence | ✗ No | | Typical online editors | ✓ Yes | Sometimes | Free tier limits | ✓ Yes | Comparison of common methods. ## Why use PDFWix to add headers to PDFs? Consistent headers and footers make any PDF look finished and easy to reference. - **Works on any PDF.** Scans, merged packs and files you received — no source document needed. - **Smart placeholders.** Page X of Y, file name and date are filled in automatically on every page. - **Batch stamping.** Apply the same header and footer to a whole folder of PDFs in one pass. - **Confidential stays confidential.** Contracts and reports are processed on your device, never uploaded. Combining documents first? Merge PDF (https://www.pdfwix.com/merge-pdf) them, then add one continuous header and footer here. For a diagonal CONFIDENTIAL stamp, use Watermark PDF (https://www.pdfwix.com/watermark). Only need numbers? Use Page Numbers (https://www.pdfwix.com/page-numbers). Want the result smaller for email? Finish with Compress PDF (https://www.pdfwix.com/compress-pdf). ## Common uses for add headers toing PDFs - Adding 'Page X of Y' and a title to reports and theses - Marking every page of a contract 'Confidential — Draft' - Putting a company name and date on board packs - Labelling exhibits and appendices with the file name - Adding a footer to scanned documents before filing ## Frequently asked questions ### How do I add a header and footer to an existing PDF? Open PDFWix Header & Footer PDF, add the file, type the header and footer text and click Add header & footer. It is free and needs no software. ### Can I add 'Page 1 of 10' to a PDF? Yes. Type Page {n} of {total} in the footer box. ### Can I add the date or file name? Yes. Use {date} for today's date and {file} for the file name. ### Can I skip the first page? Yes. Turn on 'Skip the cover page'. ### Does it support non-English characters? Headers use the standard Helvetica font, which covers Western European characters. Characters outside that set are replaced with a question mark. ### Is my PDF uploaded? No. The header and footer are written by your browser. ## More PDF tools ### Page Numbers ### Bates Numbering ### Watermark ### Merge PDF Combine PDFs in the order you want with the easiest PDF merger. https://www.pdfwix.com/merge-pdf ## Related PDF tools Page Numbers: https://www.pdfwix.com/page-numbers Bates Numbering: https://www.pdfwix.com/bates-numbering Watermark: https://www.pdfwix.com/watermark Merge PDF: https://www.pdfwix.com/merge-pdf 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/header-footer-pdf#app", "name": "Header & Footer PDF — 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": "4.8", "ratingCount": "1674", "bestRating": "5", "worstRating": "1" }, "description": "Add header and footer to PDF online free. Stamp page numbers, file name, date or custom text on every page, left, centre or right. Batch files, never.", "featureList": [ "Header & Footer PDF", "No watermarks", "100% free", "No daily limits", "Browser-based processing", "Files never uploaded to server" ], "screenshot": "https://www.pdfwix.com/og/home.png", "url": "https://www.pdfwix.com/header-footer-pdf", "provider": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "PDFWix", "url": "https://www.pdfwix.com" } }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://www.pdfwix.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Header & Footer PDF", "item": "https://www.pdfwix.com/header-footer-pdf" } ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type": "Question", "name": "How do I add a header and footer to an existing PDF?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Open PDFWix Header & Footer PDF, add the file, type the header and footer text and click Add header & footer. It is free and needs no software." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Can I add 'Page 1 of 10' to a PDF?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Yes. Type Page {n} of {total} in the footer box." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Can I add the date or file name?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Yes. Use {date} for today's date and {file} for the file name." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Can I skip the first page?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Yes. Turn on 'Skip the cover page'." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Does it support non-English characters?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Headers use the standard Helvetica font, which covers Western European characters. Characters outside that set are replaced with a question mark." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Is my PDF uploaded?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "No. The header and footer are written by your browser." } } ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "HowTo", "name": "How to add a header and footer to a PDF", "totalTime": "PT2M", "step": [ { "@type": "HowToStep", "position": 1, "name": "Add your PDFs", "text": "Drop one or more PDF files into the upload box." }, { "@type": "HowToStep", "position": 2, "name": "Type header and footer", "text": "Use plain text plus placeholders: {n}, {total}, {file}, {date}. Leave a box empty to skip it." }, { "@type": "HowToStep", "position": 3, "name": "Choose alignment and size", "text": "Left, centre or right, font size 6–36, and optionally skip the cover page." }, { "@type": "HowToStep", "position": 4, "name": "Download", "text": "Click Add header & footer. Several files download as a ZIP or one by one." } ] } ] ```