Add Bates numbers to PDFs
Put your files in order, set a prefix, start number and digits, and download every PDF numbered in sequence with a log of each file's first and last number.
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What it does
Add Bates numbering, explained
To add Bates numbers, drop one or more PDFs, put them in production order, choose a prefix (a client or matter code, for example), the starting number and how many digits to pad to, then apply. Every page gets a unique number such as SMITH000001, and each file continues where the previous one stopped. The work happens in your browser, so privileged or confidential material never leaves your device.
Read more
Bates numbering gives every page of a document production a fixed identifier that can be cited in a deposition, a brief or a privilege log. Numbering a batch is the point: number 40 files in one pass and file 2 starts at SMITH000046 because file 1 ended at SMITH000045. A CSV log lists each file with its first and last number, ready for a production index.
Prefix and suffix are free text and accept {date} and {filename}, so “{filename}_” or “-CONFIDENTIAL” both work. Numbers are zero-padded to the digits you choose (6 gives 000123) and are never cut off when the count grows past them. Pick one of six positions, the size, color and distance from the edge, and check the preview on real pages before you download.
Bates numbers are not page numbers. Add page numbers restarts in every document and supports formats like “Page 3 of 12”; Bates numbers run unbroken across a whole production and usually sit in the bottom-right corner. Courts, agencies and opposing counsel may set their own format in an ESI protocol or local rule, so check it before you produce.
How to do it
Add Bates numbers to PDFs in 5 steps
1Your PDF
2Set the mark
3On every page
- 1
Add your PDFs
Drop one file or many. They are read in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
- 2
Put them in production order
Drag the files into order. Numbering runs through them from top to bottom.
- 3
Set the number format
Type a prefix and an optional suffix, the start number and the digits, for example ABC, 1 and 6 for ABC000001.
- 4
Choose position and pages
Pick a corner or edge, the size and margin, and optionally a page range that applies inside each file.
- 5
Download the files and the log
Download each numbered PDF or a ZIP of all of them, plus a CSV log with every file's first and last number.
Example
Before and after
Three PDFs for a document production: a 45-page contract, a 12-page email export and a 3-page invoice, none of them numbered.
Pages stamped SMITH000001–SMITH000045, SMITH000046–SMITH000057 and SMITH000058–SMITH000060 in 9 pt black at the bottom right, plus a CSV log with one row per file.
Settings & formats
What you can control
- Prefix and suffix
- Free text before and after the number; {date} and {filename} are filled in for each file.
- Start at
- The number on the first numbered page of the first file. To continue an earlier production, enter the next number in that series.
- Digits
- Zero-padding width: 6 turns 123 into 000123. Longer numbers are printed in full.
- Position
- Top or bottom; left, center or right. Bottom right is the usual place.
- Pages in each file
- All pages, or a range such as 2- applied inside every file. Pages outside it get no number and don't use one up.
- Size, color and margin
- Font size in points, text color and distance from the page edge.
- Output names
- Keep each file's name with “-bates” added, or name each file by its range, e.g. ABC000001-ABC000045.pdf.
Input
Output
Good to know before you start
- Numbers are stamped into the page content. They can't be renumbered later; to change them, start again from the un-numbered files.
- Existing numbers or footers are not detected. If something already sits in the chosen corner, the Bates number overlaps it; pick another position or a larger margin.
- Each stamp is one line: prefix, number and suffix. A second endorsement line such as “CONFIDENTIAL – SUBJECT TO PROTECTIVE ORDER” needs a second pass with Header & footer.
- Large productions are limited by your browser's memory and by 20 files per run. Split a very large set into several runs and start each one at the next number shown.
- PDFBetter doesn't check numbers against a court's or agency's production rules; follow the format in your ESI protocol or local rules.
- Chinese, Japanese or Korean characters in the prefix or suffix need a font subset from Google Fonts: only those characters are sent, never the PDF. Offline they print as “?”.
- Password-protected PDFs must be unlocked first.
If something goes wrong
If something goes wrong
- The second file starts at 1 again.
- Add all files in one run, in order. If you number them in separate runs, set Start at to the next number shown after the previous run.
- The number is hidden behind a footer or logo.
- Move it to another position or increase the margin so it sits clear of the artwork.
- Leading zeros disappear when I open the CSV log.
- Spreadsheet apps turn 000123 into 123 when they guess column types. Import the file as text, or keep a prefix, which stops the conversion.
Add Bates numbering: questions people ask
What is a Bates number?
A unique identifier stamped on every page of a set of documents, usually a prefix plus a zero-padded number such as ABC000123. It lets everyone cite an exact page and shows whether a page is missing from a production.
Can I number several PDFs in one sequence?
Yes. Add them all and put them in order; each file continues from the last number of the one before it. The CSV log lists the first and last number of each file.
How do I continue from an earlier production?
Set Start at to the number after the last one you produced. After every run the tool shows the next number to use.
Can the stamp include the date or the file name?
Yes. Use {date} or {filename} in the prefix or suffix: “{filename}_” gives Contract_000001 for Contract.pdf, and {date} becomes today's date as YYYY-MM-DD.
Is my file uploaded?
No. Numbering runs in your browser and the files never leave your device.
Do I need an account?
No. Bates numbering is free without an account, up to 20 files per run.
Is this the same as adding page numbers?
No. Page numbers restart in each document; Bates numbers run unbroken across every file in a production. Use Add page numbers for formats like “Page 3 of 12”.
Can I stamp one exhibit number per file instead of per page?
Yes. Set Pages in each file to 1, a prefix such as “Exhibit ”, Digits to 0 and the position to top right. Only the first page of each file is stamped, and the files are numbered Exhibit 1, Exhibit 2 and so on in your order.