---
title: Free Tool to Add a Header and Footer to a PDF – "Confidential" Stamp | HelpRange
url: https://www.helprange.com/tools/header-footer-pdf
---

Free tool

# Add a header and footer to a PDF

Stamp a header and footer on every page – your text, page numbers and the date – or mark the document Confidential, Draft or Copy with one click.

[Do this for your team](https://www.helprange.com/feature-documents-watermarking)

## How it works

### Drop the PDF

Up to the size limit shown next to the drop zone.

### Click a stamp – or type your text

Confidential, Draft or Copy in one click; or your own header and footer, left, centre or right.

### Download

Every page carries the header, footer and stamp; the content is not changed.
  ![A PDF page with a header, a footer "Page 1 of 3" and a red CONFIDENTIAL stamp](/static/images/ui/tools/header-footer-pdf.jpg)A PDF page with a header, a footer "Page 1 of 3" and a red CONFIDENTIAL stamp

### Know who reads page 7

Share the numbered PDF as a HelpRange link and see time spent on every page, by every reader, with an alert when they open it.

 [Try HelpRange free](https://www.helprange.com/?from=tool-cta#signUpSection) [Compare plans – from $39 per team](https://www.helprange.com/pricing?from=tool-cta) [See page-by-page analytics](https://www.helprange.com/feature-documents-analytics)

Headers and footers carry the information a printed page needs: who it belongs to, how confidential it is, its date and page number. Adding them to a finished PDF saves going back to the original Word file – and a visible "Confidential" stamp reminds every reader how to treat the document.

## Examples

- Footer centre: `Page {n} of {total}` – page numbers on every page.
- Header left: `ACME Ltd – Board pack`, header right: `{date}`.
- Footer left: `{file}` – the file name on every printed page.
- Stamp **Confidential** on a term sheet, **Draft** on a version for comments, **Copy** on a scan you hand out.

Skip a cover page by typing `2-` under More options → Pages.

## Header, page numbers or Bates numbers?

For page numbers only, [Add page numbers](https://www.helprange.com/tools/add-page-numbers-to-pdf) is the shortest way. For legal productions where every page needs a unique ID across many files, use [Bates numbering](https://www.helprange.com/tools/bates-numbering-pdf). A visible stamp marks the document; a [personal watermark](https://www.helprange.com/tools/pdf-watermark) also shows whose copy it is.

## Example: a board pack

Type “Board meeting – 14 November” in the header on the left, `{date}` on the right and `Page {n} of {total}` in the footer, then download. Every page of the merged pack now shows where it belongs, even when someone prints only a few pages.

FAQ

## Add a header and footer to a PDF – questions

Which placeholders can I use?

{n} for the page number, {total} for the number of pages, {date} for today's date and {file} for the file name – e.g. "Page {n} of {total}".

Can I skip the cover page?

Yes – under More options type the pages to stamp, e.g. 2- for every page from page 2.

Do you keep my file?

Only for a short time: uploads are deleted right after processing, the result after 30 minutes – or at once with “Delete now”.

Is the stamp translated?

Yes – on the page in another language the stamp is written in that language, e.g. POUFNE on the Polish page.

 Related free tools

 [Add page numbers to a PDF](https://www.helprange.com/tools/add-page-numbers-to-pdf)[Bates numbering for PDFs](https://www.helprange.com/tools/bates-numbering-pdf)[Watermark a PDF – one personalised copy per recipient](https://www.helprange.com/tools/pdf-watermark)[Make a PDF uncopyable (rasterize)](https://www.helprange.com/tools/rasterize-pdf)

[All free tools](https://www.helprange.com/tools)