How to add a header and footer to a PDF, no installs needed

How to add a header and footer to a PDF

To add a header and footer to a PDF, upload the file, type the text for the top and the text for the bottom, choose whether each one sits left, centered or right, set the font size and click "Apply and download". The same text is printed, identically, on every page, and the cover can be left out. Everything happens in your browser.

What the tool does (and what it doesn't)

The tool is built for one job, repeating a fixed line at the top and bottom of every page: the company name, the contract number, a confidentiality notice, a date you typed. Before you start, it helps to know what can and can't be adjusted:

• Two free-text fields, "Header text" and "Footer text": fill in one or both. With both empty, the button stays disabled.
• Alignment for each line: "Left", "Centered" or "Right", in the selector next to each text field (one for the header, one for the footer). The distance from the edge is fixed; you can't move the text up or down.
• Font size from 8 to 24, on the "Size" slider (starts at 10). The typeface is always the same, a plain sans-serif in dark gray; there's no font or color choice.
• "Skip the first page": keeps the cover or title page clean.
• The text is literal and identical on every page. There's no automatic page numbering or automatic date: if you type "Page 1", every page will read "Page 1".
• Several PDFs at once: the same header and footer are applied to all of them, and each file downloads separately.

To number the pages, use the dedicated page-numbering tool, which puts the right number on each page in a simple format or "1 / N". You can combine both: number first, then apply the header with the document's identity. The step-by-step guide is in how to add page numbers to a PDF.

Where a header and footer make a difference

• Contracts and proposals, with the company name at the top and a confidentiality notice in the footer.
• Handouts and course material, with the module title on top and, if you want numbered pages, the numbering done beforehand in the numbering tool.
• Reports, with the issue date you typed pinned to every page so there's no doubt about the version.
• Internal documents, with a "draft" or "internal use" mark repeated on each sheet.

Step by step to insert a header and footer

1. Open the header and footer tool and upload the PDF (or several, if you want the same text on all of them).
2. Type the "Header text", the "Footer text" or both.
3. In the selector next to each field, choose "Left", "Centered" or "Right": the first one is for the header, the second for the footer.
4. Adjust the "Size" slider (8 to 24) and, if the first page is a cover, check "Skip the first page".
5. Click "Apply and download". You get one PDF per uploaded file, named after the original plus "-cabecalho-rodape".

The original file is not changed: if the text came out too big or the alignment isn't right, just adjust and click again. Since applying takes seconds, the fastest way to get it right is to test and check a page from the middle of the document. For a large mark across the page, such as "DRAFT" or "CONFIDENTIAL" on a diagonal, that's a different feature: see how to add a watermark to a PDF.

Common errors and limits

• A one-page PDF with "Skip the first page" checked: the tool shows "No page is left to receive the text. Uncheck the option to skip the first page."
• Emoji, symbols and non-Latin alphabets (Chinese, Arabic, Cyrillic) turn into "?" in the applied text. Accented Latin characters work fine.
• The text doesn't wrap: a very long line at a large size can run past the page edge. Keep lines short.
• The header and footer go on top of the content. If the page already has text right against the top or bottom edge, the two can overlap. Check before sharing.
• Rotated pages (with the rotation saved in the file, like a scan lying sideways or pages that went through the rotate tool): the text is drawn in the sheet's original position and can show up sideways, on the left or right edge. Check the result on those pages.

Tips for a well-made header and footer

• Keep the text short: headers and footers are for identification, not paragraphs.
• Use the header for identity (company, title) and the footer for the notice (confidential, internal use), so they don't compete.
• Leave the cover out when it already features the title prominently: repeating it there usually just adds clutter.
• Download and check a middle page: that's where you see whether the size and alignment look right across the whole file.

Everything is done inside your browser: the PDF is handled on your own device and is never uploaded to any server, which matters when the document is a contract or internal material.