or drop files here
Write up to six short lines around the edges of your pages, mixing in page numbers, dates, the file name or the document title. The PDF stays on your device from start to finish.
Six boxes, five tokens, one pass.
Open your PDF
Drop in a report, thesis, contract or scan. Locked files ask for their password once, and the first page appears so you know you picked the right document.
Fill the six boxes
Type into the header or footer boxes, or start from a preset. Token chips drop in the page number, page count, date, file name or document title.
Check, then save
The preview spells out how the first and last pages will read. Run it, open the result to be sure, and save the stamped copy.
Where a running header earns its place.
Headers and footers answer the questions a single loose page cannot: what document is this, which version, and where does it sit in the whole?
Board and committee packs
Put the meeting name on the left and the meeting date on the right of every page, so loose printouts can be sorted again and nobody debates last month's version.
Dissertations and theses
Many universities want a short title or candidate number at the top and page numbers at the bottom. Set both at once, and begin counting after the title page.
Draft and confidential marking
Label every page DRAFT or CONFIDENTIAL in the margin, so the status travels with each sheet even when a single page is forwarded, photographed or printed.
Client reports
Design apps, slide software and dashboards often export PDFs with no header option at all. Add the client name, project and date afterwards instead of rebuilding the file.
Scanned paperwork
A scan has no running header. Writing the file name and "page 3 of 14" on each sheet makes a stack of scanned letters or receipts easy to cite and put back in order.
Controlled documents
Quality and compliance systems commonly ask for a document reference, an issue date and "Page X of Y" on every page, so readers can tell a page is current and none are missing.
How the tokens fill in, page by page.
Take a 12-page file called Q3-board-pack.pdf whose document title is "Board Pack, Q3 2026". Page 1 is a cover, so the page range is set to 2- and the first stamped page is numbered 1. The table shows what the tool writes on page 2 and on page 12.
{total} is the number the final page of the file would carry, which is why it reads 11 rather than 12 once the cover is skipped. If you also leave the back page unstamped, the total still counts it, so pick the range with that in mind.
What changes in the file: each line is written into the page content as real, selectable text in one of the standard PDF fonts. PDF readers already ship those fonts, so no font file is embedded and the PDF grows only slightly. The trade-off is the character set, which stops at Western European letters, digits and common punctuation.
| You type | Page 2 reads | Page 12 reads |
|---|---|---|
| Page {page} of {total} | Page 1 of 11 | Page 11 of 11 |
| {title} | Board Pack, Q3 2026 | Board Pack, Q3 2026 |
| {filename} | Q3-board-pack.pdf | Q3-board-pack.pdf |
| {date} | 18 Oct 2026 | 18 Oct 2026 |
| Ref QP-07, {date} | Ref QP-07, 18 Oct 2026 | Ref QP-07, 18 Oct 2026 |
Settings for this example: pages 2-, first stamped page numbered 1, date format 18 Oct 2026. Page 1 is left exactly as it was.
Questions answered.
What can I put in a header or footer?
How do I keep the cover page free of headers?
Why does {title} come out blank?
Which characters and languages work?
Will the header cover what is already on the page?
What about landscape or rotated pages?
Can I change or remove the header afterwards?
Does my PDF leave my computer?
More tools you might need.
Related Guides & Tutorials
How to Repair and Recover Corrupted PDF Files That Won't Open (Recovery Guide)
Why PDFs get damaged, how to tell whether a broken file can be saved, and how to rebuild a missing cross-reference table or end marker to get the pages back.
How to Convert CMYK PDF to sRGB for Web and Social Media Sharing (True Color Guide)
Why a print-ready CMYK PDF looks off on screens and social media, and how to convert it to sRGB in InDesign, Illustrator, Acrobat Pro or Ghostscript, or export the pages as images.
Why Is My Printer Printing PDF Pages in Landscape Instead of Portrait? (Orientation Fix)
Why portrait PDF pages print sideways: automatic orientation, a landscape driver default, two pages per sheet, or a rotated page in the file. Fixes for Acrobat, Chrome, Preview and Windows.