Add Header and Footer to PDF
Stamp a title, date, and page numbers on every page. Processed in your browser, files never upload anywhere.
How to Add Headers and Footers to a PDF
Upload your PDF, type the header and footer text you want, choose left, center, or right alignment for each, set the font size and margin, then click Apply Header and Footer. The tool draws your text on every page of the document and hands you a new PDF to download. Your original file is never modified. Because everything runs in your browser, there is no upload wait, no file size queue, and no account needed.
Click Choose a PDF file and select the document you want to stamp.
Type your header text, footer text, or both. Use {page}, {pages}, and {date} for automatic page numbers, total pages, and today's date.
Pick an alignment for each, adjust font size and edge margin if needed, then click Apply Header and Footer.
Download the finished PDF. Check a few pages to confirm placement, then share or print it.
Common Uses for PDF Headers and Footers
Page numbers are the most common request: a footer reading "Page {page} of {pages}" keeps long reports, contracts, and ebooks navigable when printed. Draft watermarks in the header, such as "DRAFT - {date}", make review copies unmistakable and date every revision automatically. Businesses stamp document titles, client names, or confidentiality notices like "Confidential" across proposals and quotes. Teachers and trainers add course names and dates to handouts. Because the tokens fill themselves in per page, you never have to count pages or type dates by hand, and every page stays consistent even if you later insert or remove pages and re-run the tool.
Placement and Sizing Tips
The margin value sets how far the text sits from the page edge, measured in points (72 points equal one inch). The default 36 points is half an inch, which clears most content. If your document has full-bleed graphics or text running into the margins, raise the margin or shrink the font. Header text is drawn with its baseline at the top margin so it extends upward into the whitespace; footer text sits on the bottom margin. The tool uses a clean Helvetica typeface in dark gray, which reads well on white and lightly tinted pages without shouting. If a page is unusually small or your text is very long, the tool clamps the starting position to the margin so text never runs off the left edge, but extremely long strings can still overflow the right edge, so keep headers and footers concise.
Privacy and File Handling
All processing happens locally in your browser with the pdf-lib library. Your PDF is read into memory on your device, each page is stamped, and the result is assembled and downloaded without any network transfer. No server ever sees your document, which makes this suitable for contracts, financial statements, and other private files. The tool does not keep a copy, does not log filenames, and does not require you to create an account or verify an email address. Once the page is loaded, it even keeps working if your connection drops.
Frequently Asked Questions
What tokens can I use in the header and footer text?
Three tokens are supported. The {page} token inserts the current page number, {pages} inserts the total page count, and {date} inserts today's date in month/day/year format. For example, typing "Page {page} of {pages}" produces "Page 3 of 12" on the third page. Tokens work in both the header and the footer, and you can combine them with your own text such as a document title or company name.
Can I add only a header or only a footer?
Yes. Leave either field blank and that element is skipped. If you fill in only the header text, every page gets a header and nothing is drawn at the bottom. If you fill in only the footer, every page gets a footer. Filling in both gives you both. A completely empty setup does nothing, so the Apply button simply produces an unchanged copy if both fields are blank.
How do I position the header and footer?
Each has its own alignment control: left, center, or right. Left alignment starts the text at the margin, center centers it on the page width, and right alignment ends it at the margin. The margin setting controls how far the text sits from the page edges, and the font size setting controls the text height. Typical choices are 9 or 10 point text with a 36 point margin, which keeps the header clear of the page content.
Will the header cover my existing page content?
The header is drawn at the top margin and the footer at the bottom margin, in the areas where most documents have whitespace. If your pages have content running very close to the edges, increase the margin value so the header and footer sit further from the content, or reduce the font size. The tool never deletes or moves your existing content; it only draws the new text on top of each page.
Is my PDF uploaded anywhere during processing?
No. The entire process happens locally in your browser using the pdf-lib library. Your file is read into memory on your own device, the header and footer are drawn page by page, and the finished PDF is offered as a download. Nothing is sent to any server, nothing is stored or logged, and the tool works the same on a slow or offline connection once the page has loaded.
What if my PDF is password protected or very large?
Password protected PDFs cannot be opened without the password, so the tool will show an error instead of a result. Very large PDFs with hundreds of pages will still process, but they take longer and need more memory; give the browser time and keep other heavy tabs closed. If a file is damaged or uses an unusual encoding the tool cannot parse, you will see a clear error message and no download is created.