How do I add Bates numbering to my PDF documents?

Open your PDF in Acrobat Pro. Go to Edit > More > Bates Numbering > Add. Click in a header or footer box. Select 'Insert Bates Number' and choose the number of digits. Confirm your settings to apply the numbers to all pages.

Batch-Rename With Bates in Adobe Acrobat — How-to & AI prompts

AI prompts

1 way to ask · copy any one

CDecide — “help me choose”I have [count=12] [invoice] PDFs with internal invoice numbers in the filenames and the AP team…+

I have [count=12] [invoice] PDFs with internal invoice numbers in the filenames and the AP team wants Bates prefixes so they can track batches. I’m unsure whether they expect the Bates as the primary filename or as an added prefix. Tell me which filename format minimizes import errors, whether to keep the original name after an underscore, and any filename length limits I should respect before renaming and zipping the batch.

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 Adobe Acrobat Pro.
2
Click Tools in the upper-left corner.
3
Scroll to and select Bates Numbering under the Protect & Standardize section.
4
Click Add Files and select all the PDF files you want to Bates number in this batch.
Best practiceFor best results, arrange your files in the desired order before adding, as Bates numbering will follow this sequence.
5
Click OK after all files are added and ordered as needed.
6
Click Add Bates Numbering and choose Add Bates Numbers from the dropdown.
7
In the Bates Numbering dialog, set your numbering format, position, and prefix/suffix as needed.
8
Ensure the Number of digits and Start Number fields are set to apply continuous numbering across all PDFs.
CautionIf you restart numbering for each file, numbering will not be continuous; confirm the start number is set only once.
9
Click OK to preview the changes.
10
Choose a location to save the newly Bates-numbered PDFs, then click OK or Save.

In the appWith the API

You can batch Bates number multiple PDFs at once, and Acrobat will automatically continue the sequence across all selected files.

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

Glossary

words on this page

Bates NumberingA way to give each page in a document a unique 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.

Page LabelsThe numbers or names you see in Acrobat for each page, which can be different from the real page order.ExampleYour PDF might show page 'iv' in the thumbnail panel, even though it's the fifth page in the file.

The real tasks

the one, listed here

Invoices ready but AP import chokes on unexpected filenames.

FAQ

about this task

Open your PDF in Acrobat Pro.
Go to Edit > More > Bates Numbering > Add.
Click in a header or footer box.
Select 'Insert Bates Number' and choose the number of digits.
Confirm your settings to apply the numbers to all pages.

Bates numbering is mainly used to create a unique and permanent index for every page in legal documents. This helps lawyers, courts, and other parties easily refer to specific pages within large sets of files, ensuring everyone is looking at the same document and page.

Applying Bates numbering directly to the pages of your PDF does not automatically change the file name. However, Acrobat Pro also has a separate option to add Bates numbers to the file names themselves, if you choose to do that.

Bates numbering is different because it permanently stamps a unique number onto the actual content of each page, like an ink stamp. This is for legal indexing and tracking. Page labels, on the other hand, only change the number displayed on your screen or in the navigation panel. They do not alter the page content itself and are not permanent marks for legal use.

No, Bates numbering is a feature that is only available in Adobe Acrobat Pro. If you have a different version of Acrobat, you will not be able to use this specific tool.

Batch-Rename With Bates

When to use it

AI prompts

How to do it

Glossary

The real tasks

FAQ

Sources

Adobe help