How to add page numbers to a PDF but skip the cover page

The quick answer to "add page numbers to PDF skip first page" is one setting: open Add Page Numbers, choose your PDF and set First page to number to 2. The cover stays clean, and numbering starts on the next page. Then decide whether that page should read 1 or 2 with Start counting at, pick a position and format, and click Add page numbers & download. It all runs in your browser, so the file isn't uploaded.

Below are the exact settings for the common cases, and an honest note on what the tool can't skip.

Add page numbers to PDF skip first page: the steps

1. Open the tool and add your file. Go to Add Page Numbers and choose or drop the PDF. If it's password-protected, you'll be asked for the password; the numbered copy is saved without one.
2. Set First page to number to 2. This leaves page 1, the cover, without a number.
3. Set Start counting at. Leave it on 1 if the page after the cover should read 1. Change it to 2 if that page should read 2.
4. Pick a position. Top or bottom; left, centre or right. Bottom centre is the default.
5. Pick a format. 1, Page 1, Page 1 of N or 1 / N.
6. Adjust the look. Font (Helvetica, Times or Courier), size (6 to 36 pt), margin from the edge, and colour.
7. Check the preview. It opens on the first numbered page, and the arrows let you step through the others. A line under the options shows what the first and last numbers will read.
8. Click Add page numbers & download. The file is saved with -numbered added to its name, for example report-numbered.pdf.

Should the page after the cover read 1 or 2?

Both are common, and the tool does either. The difference is only the Start counting at box:

You want	First page to number	Start counting at	Page 2 reads	Last page of 10 reads
Cover not counted	2	1	1	9
Cover counted but not printed	2	2	2	10
Skip cover and contents page	3	1	blank	8
Every page numbered	1	1	2	10

Reports and assignments often use the first style. Books and formal documents often count the cover; check your school or office guidelines if there are any.

What "Page 1 of N" counts

N is the last number that will be printed, not the number of pages in the file. With a skipped cover on a 10-page file and Start counting at 1, the pages read "Page 1 of 9" to "Page 9 of 9". If you start counting at 2, they read "Page 2 of 10" to "Page 10 of 10".

What the tool can and can't skip

The tool numbers every page from the First page to number onward. That covers covers, title pages and contents pages at the start. It can't, on its own:

• leave a page in the middle without a number (a full-page chart, say),
• leave the last page (a back cover) without a number,
• use Roman numerals (i, ii, iii) for front pages; it numbers with ordinary digits only.

The workaround for a middle or last page

You can get the same result with two of our tools, still in your browser:

1. Number the whole file as above and download report-numbered.pdf. Keep the original too.
2. Open PDF Merge and add the numbered copy and the original.
3. Use each file's Pages box to pick what you want. For a 10-page report with an unnumbered back cover: numbered copy 1-9, original 10.
4. Merge and download.

For a blank page in the middle, add the numbered copy twice with ranges on each side of that page, and the original with just that page in between. If you'd rather pull pages out first, Split PDF extracts any range into its own file.

Use the 1 or Page 1 format for this, because "of N" will still count the pages you left blank.

Number after merging, not before

Page numbers are added to the page itself, so they travel with the page. If you merge several files, merge first and number the finished document, otherwise each part restarts at 1. Our guide on how to merge PDFs on Windows 11 covers the merging step.

If you're editing the document anyway (signing, adding text, reordering pages), PDF Studio can add page numbers as part of saving, so you don't need a separate step.

Common problems

The number covers text or a footer

Change the position (top instead of bottom, or a corner), make the font smaller, or increase the margin from the edge. Check a few pages in the preview, especially full ones.

Landscape or rotated pages

The tool reads each page's size and rotation and draws the number upright where you chose, as the page is displayed. If a page itself is sideways, fix it with Rotate PDF first; see why a scanned PDF opens sideways.

The numbers look too faint or too bold

Change the colour (the default is a dark grey) and the size, then check the preview at full size before downloading.

Quick checklist

• First page to number set to 2 (or 3 to skip the contents page too)
• Start counting at chosen: 1 or 2 for the page after the cover
• Format chosen; "of N" checked against what you expect
• Position and margin checked on a full page in the preview
• Files merged before numbering, not after
• Numbered copy opened and checked; original kept