Open the PDF and select Edit.
Last updated on
Nov 5, 2025
Learn how to add Bates numbers to your legal documents for easy tracking, organization, and reference.
Bates numbering adds a unique ID to each page in a set of legal documents, helping with easy indexing and retrieval. You can include letters or numbers as prefixes or suffixes for added clarity. Non-PDF files are automatically converted to PDFs before numbering. Protected, encrypted files, and some form types aren’t supported.
Select More > Bates numbering > Add from the left pane.
In the Bates Numbering dialog box, select Add files and choose one of the following:
- Add Files: Select individual PDF files to include
- Add Folders: Select entire folders of PDF files
- Add Open Files: Select from PDFs you currently have open in Acrobat
Select Output Options to specify:
- Target folder for output files
- File naming preferences
- Other options as needed
Select OK.
To change the order of files for Bates numbering:
- Select a file and select Move Up or Move Down
- Select a column name to sort the list and select it again to reverse the order
Select OK.
In the Add Header and Footer dialog box, place your cursor in the appropriate box.
Select Insert Bates Number.
Configure the Bates numbering options:
- Number of Digits: Specify the number of digits to use (3-15). The default is 6 digits, generating Bates numbers like 000001, 000002, and so on
- Start Number: Enter the number to start with
- Prefix: Add any text to appear before the number
- Suffix: Add any text to appear after the number
Tip
For large documents, increase the number of digits. Avoid using the # character in the prefix or suffix.
Select OK.
