Last updated: October 15, 2026 · Written and maintained by Fahad Farid
A header or footer adds repeated text to every page of a PDF. Use it for a document name, a confidentiality label or a page marker. ToolVero's tool stamps text; it does not edit the source file's underlying prose or automatically avoid content already near the edge.
Design a label that fits
Open PDF Header & Footer and choose the document. Enter header text, footer text or both. The placeholders {page} and {total} can be used in the text. For a four-page file, a footer of Confidential — {page} of {total} yields “Confidential — 1 of 4” on the first page.
Set size and margin before exporting
Choose a readable font size and sufficient margin from the page edge. If the existing PDF already has a letterhead, table or footnote near the top or bottom, a stamp may overlap it. Make a test copy with Add Header / Footer, then examine pages with different layouts rather than checking only the cover.
Distinguish this from page numbering
Use Add Page Numbers if you want only a conventional number with selectable placement and a start number. Header & Footer is suited to repeated custom text with page and total placeholders. Both add visible marks to a new PDF and leave the original file untouched.
Worked check: a four-page draft
- Keep the original PDF and enter
Draft — {page} of {total}in the footer field. - Set a margin that leaves space below the body text, then create a copy.
- Confirm pages 1 and 4 read “Draft — 1 of 4” and “Draft — 4 of 4”. Inspect the other pages for overlaps.
If the source starts with a cover, that cover is page 1; the tool does not automatically omit it or start numbering the body at 1.
Review the result
Check the first, middle and final pages for correct placeholder values, clipping and collisions with original content. The tool applies the text to every page in the selected file; it does not skip a cover. It also does not update a table of contents or manually typed references. Rewriting a digitally signed PDF can invalidate its signature.
The selected file is handled in the browser rather than uploaded to a ToolVero file-processing server. Supporting public libraries may be downloaded. If your goal is a prominent diagonal “DRAFT” marking or selected-page treatment, use Watermark PDF.