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.

What is the purpose of Bates numbering in legal documents?

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.

If my scanned PDF is blurry, will Bates numbering still work?

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.

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

Why do I need Acrobat Pro for Bates numbering?

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.

Remove or redact Bates numbers from PDFs in Adobe Acrobat — How-to & AI prompts

AI prompts

3 ways to ask · copy any one

AExecute — “help me do it”Please remove or redact all Bates numbers from my PDF file...…+

Please remove or redact all Bates numbers from my PDF file named [insert PDF file name here].

when the reply comes backWould you like to learn how to add Bates numbers next?

BImprove — “do it better”Check my PDF and suggest better ways to hide or remove...…+

Check my PDF and suggest better ways to hide or remove Bates numbers so they cannot be seen or found.

when the reply comes backNeed help checking if any Bates numbers are still visible?

CDecide — “help me choose”Should I completely remove or just cover up Bates numbers in...…+

Should I completely remove or just cover up Bates numbers in my PDF for [state your purpose, like sharing with a client]?

when the reply comes backWant tips for safely sharing redacted PDFs?

How to do it

the tool · the steps · what to avoid

1
Open the PDF containing Bates numbers in Adobe Acrobat.
2
Scroll to a page with a Bates number and visually confirm its location and format.
3
Select Tools in the upper-left, then choose Edit PDF.
4
Click on each Bates number text box or watermark to select it.
Best practiceIf Bates numbers were added as headers/footers, you can remove them all at once using the Edit PDF > Header & Footer > Remove option.
5
Press the Delete key to remove the selected Bates number from the page.
6
Repeat the selection and deletion process for each page containing a Bates number.
CautionIf Bates numbers were burned into the page as part of the image or flattened, you must use the Redact tool to obscure them instead.
7
If Bates numbers are part of the page content and cannot be selected, choose Tools > Redact.
8
Use the Redact tool to draw a box over each Bates number, then apply redactions to permanently obscure them.
Best practiceSome legal professionals recommend using redaction instead of deletion to ensure Bates numbers cannot be recovered from flattened or scanned documents.
9
Save the PDF with a new file name to preserve the original document.

In the appWith the API

If Bates numbers were added as headers or footers, you can remove them from all pages at once using the Header & Footer removal option in Edit PDF.

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

Glossary

words on this page

Bates numbersBates numbers are special numbers added to each page of a document to keep track of them.ExampleThe Bates numbers on each page helped the legal team keep track of every document.

RedactTo hide or remove sensitive information from a document.ExampleYou redact the social security number before sharing the report with others.

PDFA common file type used to share documents that look the same everywhere.ExampleShe saved the brochure as a PDF so everyone would see the exact same layout and fonts.

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

To remove or hide Bates numbers in Adobe Acrobat, use the 'Redact' tool to cover them up, or use the 'Edit PDF' tool to delete them if they are not part of the original scanned image. Make sure to double-check each page to ensure all numbers are gone or covered.

Bates numbers are unique numbers stamped on each page of a document set, often used in legal work to keep track of pages and make it easy to reference them during a case.

Yes, but it is harder. If the PDF is a scanned image, you can use the 'Redact' tool to cover the numbers, but you cannot delete them like text. Always check the final file to make sure the numbers are not visible.

No, redacting means covering up the numbers so no one can see them, while deleting means removing them completely. Sometimes, you can only redact if the numbers are part of an image.

Removing or hiding Bates numbers keeps sensitive tracking information private and prevents people from knowing how the document was used or organized in legal or business settings.

Remove or redact Bates numbers from PDFs

When to use it

AI prompts

How to do it

Glossary

The real tasks

Who does this

FAQ

Sources

Adobe help