Bates Number a PDF
Stamp sequential Bates numbers like SMITH000001, SMITH000002… across every page of a legal PDF. Pick the prefix, starting number, digit width, and position. Free, in-browser, and no signup — your file stays on your device.
Free • No signup • Secure
How to use bates number a pdf
Open your PDF
Drag and drop your PDF onto the upload area, or click to choose a file. The file stays on your device — there is no server upload.
Set prefix, start, and digits
Type a prefix like SMITH, EXHIBIT_, or DEPO followed by a hyphen — whatever your discovery numbering convention uses. Pick the starting number (1, or any offset like 5001 if continuing a prior production) and the digit width (1–12, zero-padded).
Pick a position
Choose one of six anchors — top-left, top-center, top-right, bottom-left, bottom-center, or bottom-right. Standard practice in U.S. discovery is bottom-right; the tool defaults there.
Download the Bates-numbered PDF
Click Add Bates Numbers to stamp every page in your browser and save the new .pdf to your device. The original file is untouched.
Why use USA Sky PDF
Your file stays on your device
Nothing is uploaded. The Bates stamp is drawn entirely in your browser, and the new file is saved straight to your downloads folder.
Standard discovery format
Prefix + zero-padded sequential number is exactly the format U.S. federal courts and most state courts expect in production. Output like SMITH000001 sorts naturally in any review tool.
Custom starting number
Continue a numbering sequence from a prior production. Set the start to 5001 and your first page is stamped SMITH005001, the next SMITH005002, and so on.
Free with no signup
No account, no email, no watermarks. There's nothing to upgrade for this tool because nothing leaves your device.
Frequently asked questions
Is Bates numbering really free?
Yes. Free with no signup and no per-conversion limit.
Does the file leave my computer?
No. Stamping runs entirely in your browser. USA Sky PDF's servers never see your PDF for this tool.
What characters can the prefix use?
Latin and accented-Latin characters — the basic Latin and Latin-1 range (U+0000–U+00FF). All-ASCII Bates prefixes like SMITH, EXHIBIT-A, DEPO_2025, or COMPANY_PROD work normally — these are essentially every Bates prefix we've seen in practice. Non-Latin scripts (Hindi, Arabic, CJK, Cyrillic) aren't supported in the prefix yet, but that's vanishingly rare in legal Bates use.
How wide can the digit field be?
Between 1 and 12 digits, zero-padded to that width. Six digits (SMITH000001) is the U.S. discovery convention for productions up to ~1 million pages; bump to 7 for very large productions, 4 for small exhibits.
Will this affect the original PDF?
No. The original file on your computer is untouched. The tool produces a new .pdf with the Bates stamps; you keep both.