Bates number a PDF in your browser, not in a subscription

Bates numbering stamps a unique, sequential identifier onto every page of a document set, usually as a prefix plus a zero-padded number such as ABC000001. It lets legal teams cite an exact page across production, deposition, and trial without ambiguity.

No. Acrobat Pro has a built-in numbering feature under its print production tools, but any tool that can apply a sequential stamp across a page or file set can produce Bates numbers, including browser-based tools that never require a desktop install.

Yes. Continuous, or batch, Bates numbering carries the running count from the last page of one file into the first page of the next, so a 40-file production ends up with one unbroken range instead of 40 ranges that each restart at one.

BEGBATES is the Bates number on the first page of a document and ENDBATES is the Bates number on its last page. Review platforms and load files use both fields together to define exactly which page range belongs to which document.

Pick a padding width comfortably larger than your expected final page count. Six digits (000001 to 999999) covers most single-matter productions; large multi-party litigation sometimes uses seven or eight digits so the numbering scheme never needs to be redone mid-case.

A properly applied Bates stamp only adds a text layer in the margin; it does not alter, redact, or remove any existing page content. The original document remains fully readable underneath the stamp.

It depends entirely on how the tool processes your file. Tools that run entirely in your browser never transmit the PDF to a server, which keeps privileged or confidential material on your own machine throughout the process.