Add Page Numbers and Watermark to PDF

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add header and footer to pdf

Add a PDF header and footer with date, file name and page

Switch on Header or Footer and write in each zone. The variables in braces are replaced page by page: {page}, {total}, {date} and {filename}.

The four variables and how the zones are positioned

Header and footer work alike, only the edge changes: the header sits against the top of the page and the footer against the bottom. Each has three independent zones, left, center and right, and each zone accepts free text. Inside the text, four words in braces are replaced on every page: {page} by the page number in the file, {total} by the page count, {date} by today's date and {filename} by the file name without the .pdf extension. The replacement is case-insensitive, so {PAGE} works the same as {page}. Anything else in braces, such as {author}, stays as typed. A common layout is "{filename}" at the center of the header and "{page}/{total}" at the right of the footer.
The date uses your device's clock when the tool is loaded, and you pick among five formats: dd/mm/yyyy, dd/mm/yy, yyyy-mm-dd, mm/dd/yyyy and long form (October 5, 2026). The time zone is the device's. The margin is in millimeters from the page edge (10 mm by default, or 28.35 points), the default size is 9 points and the color is a dark gray, so the header stays discreet. You can use Helvetica, Times or Courier, with bold. An empty zone produces nothing, and each zone is a single line that does not wrap by itself: use short phrases so the three zones fit side by side without overlapping, and check the preview.
Header and footer combine with the other layers, and the scope applies to all of them at once: if you apply only to pages 2 to 10, {page} still shows the real page number in the file (2, 3, 4...), not the order within the scope. For a count of its own that skips the cover, use the Page number layer, which has a start number and Skip the first page. Positions are thought out on the page as you see it, so the header of a page stored with a 90 degree rotation stays at the visible top. If the PDF has a password, the export becomes page images; without a password, the text is real and selectable, and the original content does not change. The file comes out with the -stamped suffix in its name.

Variables in action

Full template

Input: {filename} - p. {page}/{total}, arquivo Contrato.pdf, página 2 de 9
Expected output: Contrato - p. 2/9

The .pdf is stripped from the name.

Case-insensitive

Input: {PAGE} de {Total}, página 2 de 9
Expected output: 2 de 9

The four variables accept any mix of capitals.

Unknown variable

Input: {autor} - {page}, página 3
Expected output: {autor} - 3

Only the four known variables are replaced.

Value that looks like a variable

Input: {filename}, arquivo chamado {page}.pdf
Expected output: {page}

Inserted text is not interpreted again.

Dates

Input: 5 de outubro de 2026
Expected output: 05/10/2026; 05/10/26; 2026-10-05; 10/05/2026; 5 de outubro de 2026

The five formats, in the picker's order.

Full tool FAQ

How do I number only from the second page, without counting the cover?

Turn on Skip the first page. The cover stays unnumbered and the second page gets the start number (1 by default). The total "of N" follows: in a 10-page PDF, page 2 comes out as "Page 1 of 9" and page 10 as "Page 9 of 9". If you would rather have the second page show "2", set the start number to 2; the total becomes 10.

Which page number formats are available?

What is Bates numbering and how do I set it up?

Which variables can I use in the header and footer?

Does a watermark protect the document from copying?

How do the tiled watermark and the automatic fit work?

Can I use a logo as a watermark?

Do the marks sit correctly on rotated pages and pages of different sizes?

Does it work with password-protected PDFs?

Which fonts and characters can I use in the marks?

Frequently asked questions

Is {page} the file's number or the numbering count?

It is always the page number in the file, from 1 to the total. To count from the second page, with a start number of your own, use the Page number layer.

Can I have a header and a footer at the same time?

Yes, they are separate layers, each with its three zones, but with the same font, size, color and margin rules inside each layer.

Does the text accept accents and symbols?

Accents for Portuguese and English, yes (the WinAnsi set of the PDF standard fonts). Emoji and letters from other alphabets become a question mark, and the preview already shows the swap.

Next steps

The four variables and how the zones are positioned

Header and footer work alike, only the edge changes: the header sits against the top of the page and the footer against the bottom. Each has three independent zones, left, center and right, and each zone accepts free text. Inside the text, four words in braces are replaced on every page: {page} by the page number in the file, {total} by the page count, {date} by today's date and {filename} by the file name without the .pdf extension. The replacement is case-insensitive, so {PAGE} works the same as {page}. Anything else in braces, such as {author}, stays as typed. A common layout is "{filename}" at the center of the header and "{page}/{total}" at the right of the footer.

The date uses your device's clock when the tool is loaded, and you pick among five formats: dd/mm/yyyy, dd/mm/yy, yyyy-mm-dd, mm/dd/yyyy and long form (October 5, 2026). The time zone is the device's. The margin is in millimeters from the page edge (10 mm by default, or 28.35 points), the default size is 9 points and the color is a dark gray, so the header stays discreet. You can use Helvetica, Times or Courier, with bold. An empty zone produces nothing, and each zone is a single line that does not wrap by itself: use short phrases so the three zones fit side by side without overlapping, and check the preview.

Header and footer combine with the other layers, and the scope applies to all of them at once: if you apply only to pages 2 to 10, {page} still shows the real page number in the file (2, 3, 4...), not the order within the scope. For a count of its own that skips the cover, use the Page number layer, which has a start number and Skip the first page. Positions are thought out on the page as you see it, so the header of a page stored with a 90 degree rotation stays at the visible top. If the PDF has a password, the export becomes page images; without a password, the text is real and selectable, and the original content does not change. The file comes out with the -stamped suffix in its name.

Variables in action

Full template

Input: {filename} - p. {page}/{total}, arquivo Contrato.pdf, página 2 de 9
Expected output: Contrato - p. 2/9

The .pdf is stripped from the name.

Case-insensitive

Input: {PAGE} de {Total}, página 2 de 9
Expected output: 2 de 9

The four variables accept any mix of capitals.

Unknown variable

Input: {autor} - {page}, página 3
Expected output: {autor} - 3

Only the four known variables are replaced.

Value that looks like a variable

Input: {filename}, arquivo chamado {page}.pdf
Expected output: {page}

Inserted text is not interpreted again.

Dates

Input: 5 de outubro de 2026
Expected output: 05/10/2026; 05/10/26; 2026-10-05; 10/05/2026; 5 de outubro de 2026

The five formats, in the picker's order.

Full tool FAQ

How do I number only from the second page, without counting the cover?

Which page number formats are available?

What is Bates numbering and how do I set it up?

Which variables can I use in the header and footer?

Does a watermark protect the document from copying?

How do the tiled watermark and the automatic fit work?

Can I use a logo as a watermark?

Do the marks sit correctly on rotated pages and pages of different sizes?

Does it work with password-protected PDFs?

Which fonts and characters can I use in the marks?

Frequently asked questions

Is {page} the file's number or the numbering count?

It is always the page number in the file, from 1 to the total. To count from the second page, with a start number of your own, use the Page number layer.

Can I have a header and a footer at the same time?

Yes, they are separate layers, each with its three zones, but with the same font, size, color and margin rules inside each layer.

Does the text accept accents and symbols?

Accents for Portuguese and English, yes (the WinAnsi set of the PDF standard fonts). Emoji and letters from other alphabets become a question mark, and the preview already shows the swap.