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Add Header and Footer in PDF on Windows/Mac/Online: Simple Guide

  • By Charlotte
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  • Updated on July 31, 2025
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Introduction:
PDF headers and footers are text or images that usually consecutively appear at the top and bottom of the file page. They are commonly used to display some supplementary information or contact information. So, do you know how to add headers and footers to a PDF? That's always challenging since PDF is not designed for editing. Typically, you can insert page numbers, footnotes, dates, or logos into the headers and footers. You should know a good-to-use PDF editor to simplify the work. This post will introduce how to add headers and footers in a PDF on Windows, Mac, and online.
summary

Add Header and Footer in PDF on Windows

SwifDoo PDF provides a practical way to add headers and footers to a PDF. You can choose the font sizes, font colors, and where to insert the headers or footers. With this powerful PDF program for Windows, you can insert text, such as a filename, or an image, such as a company logo, into the page's bottom or top. SwifDoo PDF allows you to select specific pages to apply the changes. You can customize the position and appearance of the headers and footers.     

Follow the steps below to add headers and footers in a PDF. 

Step 1: Free download and launch SwifDoo PDF on your Windows PC. Click Open to import the PDF file you want to add headers and footers to.

Add Header and Footer in PDF on Windows 1

Step 2: Go to the Page tab, choose Header and Footer, and select Add Headers & Footers in the drop-down list.

Add Header and Footer in PDF on Windows 2

Step 3: In the pop-up dialog box, you can start to add headers and footers in the PDF.

  • Add a header to the PDF: enter your header text into an appropriate box, such as Header Left, set the header margin on the page, and preview the effect.

Add Header and Footer in PDF on Windows 3

  • Add a footer to the PDF: type the footer text into a footer box, such as Footer Middle, and adjust the text properties and location by margin value. 

Add Header and Footer in PDF on Windows 4

Step 4: Hit Page Range to specify which pages to add headers and footers, and then click OK to add them.

When you don't need or wish to update the headers and footers, still go to Page > Header and Footer to remove the headers and footers from the PDF.

You can also add headers and footers in a PDF by adding watermarks to the PDF. The trick is useful when you want to add images in headers and footers in a PDF.

Choose "Protect" > "Watermark", and click the "plus icon" under "Custom Watermark". Then, select a picture, scale the image to fit the page, and change the location parameter to add the image as your header or footer.

Add Headers and Footers to PDF on Mac

PDFelement is a multi-featured PDF application applicable to Mac OS. It enables users to comment, sign, and convert PDFs, and more. This software can insert text and images into headers and footers in a PDF with ease. You can specify the page ranges, position, font style, and other settings. 

Discover how to add headers and footers in a PDF on a Mac. 

Step 1: Go to Edit and Header & Footer.

Step 2: Choose Add Header & Footer and click the plus icon to get into the Header & Footer dialog box.

Step 3: Enter the header and footer text and adjust the default settings for position, page range, and other parameters as needed. 

Add Headers and Footers to PDFs on Mac

Step 4: Press Save and Apply to add the headers and footers to the PDF file.

If you are hesitant to install a program on your PC, consider using a web-based PDF tool instead. In the coming part, Online2PDF will be introduced.

Add Headers and Footers in a PDF Online

Online2PDF is a handy online tool that you can use to add headers and footers in a PDF for free. This web-based software allows users to convert PDF format, merge, rotate, and extract PDF pages. It, like professional software, offers a range of customizable options for displaying headers and footers. What you cannot do is preview the result. You can add page numbers to a PDF with the same feature. 

Step 1: Go to the Online2PDF website, and choose Header/Footer.

Add Headers and Footers to PDFs Online

Step 2: Click Select files or drag and drop the PDF where you need to add a header and footer to the interface.

Step 3: In the Header section, choose the left, middle, or right position to add a header to the PDF.

Step 4: Add a footer to the PDF by giving text in a box under the Footer section. You can use the predefined templates for the headers and footers.

Step 5: Hit Convert to implement the changes. When the process is finished, the exported PDF is ready to download.

The headers and footers will be displayed on every PDF page. The online solution lacks the ability to delete headers and footers in a single click.

Conclusion

Whenever you create a report, graduation thesis, or any document, it may require headers and footers as these are essential elements to make your file more professional. Moreover, if you add your company logo and name to the headers and footers, they may be helpful for promoting your brand. Since headers and footers are so important, it’s necessary to know how to add them to documents. To add headers and footers to a PDF without Acrobat using an offline program, SwifDoo PDF is worth your attention. 

Charlotte has been in the software industry for 8+ years. She works for AWZWARE now as a passionate writer. She is good at providing simple guides to use various video, office and entertainment software. Charlotte also recommends many other useful tools to make your work and life easier. A food lover too.

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