User level: Level 1 (8 points)The last time I saw a thread on this was 2017. I thought surely there would be a present feature to do this. I want to add page numbers to a multi-page pdf in Preview. Do I find it under tools? Where would I find this? I'm using a MacBook Pro with macOS Tahoe Version 26.7.1. Thanks
Posted on Oct 21, 2026 9:35 AM
User level: Level 10 (162,806 points)Oct 21, 2026 9:57 AM in response to CCisgreat
No, you would need a "real" PDF document editing tool. Automatic page numbering is not among Preview's robust feature set.
The only way to add them would be to manually insert text onto each page — an ugly workaround that I doubt would interest you.
User level: Level 10 (131,878 points)Oct 21, 2026 1:30 PM in response to CCisgreat
I have a Swift script that I have tested with a multi-page PDF on macOS Golden Gate (27.0.1) and it adds page numbers right-aligned at the bottom of each page.
Translating this to AppleScript/Objective-C produces a new PDF, however without page numbers. Vexing, as the code functionality should be producing page numbers which I have proven to be in the individual page annotations.
Originally posted at discussions.apple.com/thread/256380333