Headers vs footers vs page numbers — what to use when
The page numbers tool is a focused shortcut for numbering only. The headers and footers tool gives you full control over any text in both the top and bottom margins simultaneously. Use headers for document title, chapter name, or company name at the top. Use footers for page numbers, dates, legal disclaimers, or classification labels at the bottom.
How to add a header or footer to a PDF free — step by step
- Open ihatepdf.cv/headers-footers — no sign-up required
- Upload your PDF
- Choose Header, Footer, or configure both simultaneously
- Enter text for left, center, and right positions in each area
- Use tokens to insert dynamic content: page number, total pages, or today's date
- Set font, size, color, and margin distance from the page edge
- Apply and download — no watermark
Dynamic content options
- Static text — any fixed text: company name, "CONFIDENTIAL", document title, department name
- Page number — auto-incremented on every page
- Total pages — displays "Page 3 of 12" format when combined with page number
- Date — inserts today's date in your chosen format
- Combined — "Acme Corp | Page 1 of 20 | 2025-07-18"
Exclude cover pages and front matter
Set the tool to skip the first page (or multiple pages) so your title page and table of contents don't show the document header. You can set separate first-page headers if the cover page needs different branding from the body pages.
Add a CONFIDENTIAL, DRAFT or classification label
A footer is the cleanest way to label a document's status on every page without obscuring the content the way a diagonal stamp does. Put a short label — CONFIDENTIAL, DRAFT, INTERNAL ONLY, or a security classification — in the centre footer, set it in a slightly bolder or coloured font, and apply it to all pages. Unlike a screen-only marking, this is written into the PDF itself, so it survives printing, forwarding, and PDF-to-image conversion. For a large diagonal stamp across the page instead of a footer line, the Watermark tool is the better fit.
Bates numbering and footers for legal documents
Legal, discovery, and accounting workflows often require a continuous identifier on every page
— a Bates number, matter reference, or "Page X of Y". Combine a static prefix in one footer
position with the auto-incrementing page-number and total-pages tokens in another (for example,
ACME-2026- on the left and Page 1 of 20 on the right) to produce
consistent, court-ready pagination across an entire bundle. Add the footers after you
merge the documents so the numbering runs unbroken through the whole
file.
Frequently asked questions
Can I add different headers to the first page or to odd and even pages?
Yes. You can skip the cover page entirely or give it a different header from the body pages, so title pages and front matter stay clean while the rest of the document carries your running header.
Will the header or footer overlap existing page content?
Set the margin distance from the page edge so the text sits inside the existing white margin. Preview before downloading, and increase the offset if a page has content running close to the top or bottom.
Can I add a logo to the header?
The headers tool supports text. For a logo in the header position, use the Watermark tool to position an image in the top area of each page.
Does the PDF with headers/footers have a watermark from ihatepdf?
No. ihatepdf never adds its own watermarks to any output file.
Is my PDF uploaded?
No. Headers and footers are added entirely locally using pdf-lib. Your file never leaves your device.