Add a header and footer to a PDF

Add a line of text to the top or bottom of your pages, like a title, a date or Bates numbers. It runs in your browser, so the file never leaves your device.

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Header and Footer at a glance

Header and Footer is a free tool that places a line of text at the top or bottom of PDF pages, such as a title, a date or a reference. For legal work it also adds Bates numbering, a running number across a set of documents. It runs in your browser, so your file is never uploaded.

Limits · Files up to 1 GB each · Up to 3 files at a time, 100 with Pro · Free and unlimited, no account needed

Last updated October 19, 2026

How to use Header and Footer

Choose your PDF
Pick the file or drop it on the page. It opens in your browser.
Write the text
Type what should go at the top, the bottom, or both. Add a date or Bates numbers if you need them.
Apply and download
Add the header and footer, then save your updated PDF.

What Header and Footer does

Adding a header or footer means placing a line of text at the top or bottom of the pages in a PDF, such as a document title, a date or a reference. Wispdf adds it in your browser. For legal work it can also add Bates numbering, which gives every page in a set of documents its own number in sequence. Your file is never uploaded.

People use it to

Bates number discovery documents before a paralegal sends them to the other side
Put the company name and date at the top of every page of a board report
Add your name and course code to the header of an assignment

What's included

Top or bottom

Add text as a header, a footer, or both on the same pages.

Dates included

Put a date in the header or footer, which helps with versions and filings.

Bates numbering

Give each page in a legal document set its own number, counting up in order.

Client files stay put

Everything runs in your browser, so client and case files never reach our servers.

Where your file goes

Header and Footer runs on your device. Your file never leaves your browser, which matters when it holds client or case documents.

On your deviceFree and unlimited, no account needed.

How privacy works at Wispdf

Questions about Header and Footer

Is the Header and Footer tool free?

Yes. Header and Footer on Wispdf is free and unlimited, and you do not need an account. It runs on your device, so there are no daily limits and no cap on the number of files. The practical limit is your device's memory, comfortably around 1 GB of PDFs on a computer and less on a phone.

What is Bates numbering?

Bates numbering stamps every page in a set of legal documents with its own number, counting up in order through the whole set. Lawyers, paralegals and courts use these numbers to refer to an exact page, so everyone looks at the same thing. Header and Footer adds Bates numbers to your PDF on your device.

Are my legal or client files uploaded?

No. The Header and Footer tool runs on your device, inside your browser. Your files are never uploaded to our servers, so nothing is stored and nobody at Wispdf can see them. That makes it a good fit for paralegals and firms that have been told not to upload client documents to outside services.

How do I add the date to the footer of a PDF?

Open Header and Footer, choose your PDF and work in the footer area. Type any text you want, add a date, and apply it. The date then sits at the bottom of your pages along with your text. Save the file to download the updated PDF, and keep the original if you might need a clean copy later.

Can I add a header to a PDF on a Mac or phone?

Yes. Header and Footer works in any modern browser on Mac, Windows, Linux, Chromebook, iPhone, iPad and Android. There is nothing to install. The work happens on the device you are using, so a computer handles very large files more comfortably than a phone, which has less memory to spare.

Should I use Header and Footer or Add Page Numbers?

Use Add Page Numbers when you only need simple numbering, such as 1 or Page 1 of 12, in a corner or centered. Use Header and Footer when you want a line of your own text, a date, or Bates numbers for a legal document set. Both tools are free, need no account, and run on your device.