How do I add Bates numbering to a PDF in Adobe Acrobat Pro?

Open your PDF in Acrobat Pro. Go to Edit > More > Bates numbering > Add. Choose your files and set the header or footer. Insert the Bates Number and pick the digit count. Apply the settings to stamp numbers on every page.

Why is Bates numbering not the same as changing page labels in Acrobat?

Bates numbering Page labels. Stamps a number on the page Changes the number you see in the viewer Used for legal indexing Used for navigation Visible on printed pages Not printed on the page

Add Bates Numbering in Adobe Acrobat — How-to & AI prompts

AI prompts

2 ways to ask · copy any one

AExecute — “help me do it”I have a stack of legal [exhibit]s for the [case] that must be archived in order. Apply…+

I have a stack of legal [exhibit]s for the [case] that must be archived in order. Apply sequential Bates numbers across the [pages=47] starting at [prefix=T-00001] and produce one consolidated PDF by [deadline=Friday] so the court file matches our index.

when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed.

BImprove — “do it better”The paralegal and the litigation partner will review these [exhibit]s and will reject…+

The paralegal and the litigation partner will review these [exhibit]s and will reject inconsistent numbering. Add Bates numbers to the [pages=47]-page [exhibit] set starting at [prefix=T-00001], make sure the stamp appears on every page in the lower right, and produce a single PDF named [filename=Thompson_Exhibits_Bates.pdf] so reviewers can compare to the numbered index quickly.

when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed.

How to do it

the tool · the steps · what to avoid

1
Open the PDF document you want to Bates number in Adobe Acrobat.
2
Go to the Tools tab and select Edit PDF.
3
In the secondary toolbar, click More and choose Bates Numbering > Add.
4
In the Add Bates Numbering dialog, confirm your PDF is listed and click OK.
5
In the Bates Numbering dialog, click Insert Bates Number.
6
Set your Bates numbering options, such as number format, prefix, suffix, and position on the page.
7
Click OK to apply the Bates numbers.
8
Save the newly Bates-numbered PDF.
Best practiceBefore finalizing, review the placement and format of Bates numbers on several pages to ensure they do not obscure important content.

In the appWith the API

You can preview how the Bates numbers will appear on your pages before applying them by using the preview option in the dialog.

This runs in the Acrobat app - there is no separate API for this task.

Glossary

words on this page

Bates numberingA way to add unique numbers to each page in a set of documents.ExampleUsing Bates numbering, each page in a collection of court exhibits gets a sequential number.

Header/FooterThe top (header) or bottom (footer) part of a page where you can put text or numbers.ExampleAdding the date to the header/footer ensures it appears consistently on every page.

Digit countThe number of numbers shown in the Bates number, like 0001 or 000123.

The real tasks

all 2, listed here

Add bates numbering to a package of title documents so each page is uniquely referenced in reports.

Add bates numbering to a closing packet so legal and compliance can reference pages during audits.

FAQ

about this task

Open your PDF in Acrobat Pro.
Go to Edit > More > Bates numbering > Add.
Choose your files and set the header or footer.
Insert the Bates Number and pick the digit count.
Apply the settings to stamp numbers on every page.

Bates numbering is used in legal documents to give every page a unique number. This helps lawyers, judges, and others find and talk about specific pages easily. It is important for organizing large sets of documents and making sure everyone refers to the same page.

Yes, Bates numbering will still stamp a number on each page, even if the scan is blurry. But the number may be hard to read if the page is very unclear.

Bates numbering	Page labels
Stamps a number on the page	Changes the number you see in the viewer
Used for legal indexing	Used for navigation
Visible on printed pages	Not printed on the page

Bates numbering is a special feature for legal work, so Adobe only includes it in Acrobat Pro. You cannot use it in the free or standard versions.

Add Bates Numbering

When to use it

AI prompts

How to do it

Glossary

The real tasks

Who does this

FAQ

Sources

Adobe help