Professional documents need headers and footers — company name, document title, page numbers, date, or confidentiality notices. PDFZen4u lets you add both header and footer text to every page of any PDF, completely free in your browser.
How to add header and footer to a PDF
Upload your PDF
Go to PDFZen4u Header & Footer and drop your PDF.
Enter your text
Type header text (appears at top of every page) and/or footer text (appears at bottom). Use {n} for page number and {total} for total pages. Leave either field blank to skip it.
Download
Click Add Header & Footer — your updated PDF downloads with text on every page.
Page number examples
Footer text examples that use page number variables:
Page {n}→ "Page 1", "Page 2", etc.Page {n} of {total}→ "Page 1 of 24"Confidential — Page {n}→ "Confidential — Page 1"
Common header and footer uses
- Headers: Company name, document title, project code, confidentiality notice
- Footers: Page numbers, date, website, copyright notice, "Do not distribute"
Why browser-based tools are better for privacy
Traditional online tools upload your files to a remote server, process them there, and send the result back. This means your files — which may contain sensitive personal, financial, or confidential information — pass through and are temporarily stored on a computer you do not control. Browser-based tools like the ones covered here work entirely on your own device. Your files never travel across the internet, which eliminates the privacy risk completely.
What to look for in a free online tool
When choosing a free tool, check three things. First, does it upload your files or process them locally? Local processing is always more private. Second, does it add watermarks or impose daily limits? Genuinely free tools do not. Third, does it require an account? The best tools let you start immediately without signing up. A tool that processes files in your browser, adds no watermarks, and needs no account gives you the most freedom and privacy.
Tips for the best results
For the highest quality output, always start with the highest quality source file you have. Avoid repeatedly processing the same file through multiple tools, as each step can compound small quality losses. When a tool offers quality or compression settings, experiment with them to find the right balance between file size and visual quality for your specific needs. And always keep a backup of your original file before making changes.