Bates Numbering: How to Bates Stamp a PDF for Free (2026)
When a stack of documents goes out for discovery, gets filed with a court, or lands on an auditor's desk, every single page needs a name. Not a title, a name: a unique code so that months later, in a deposition or a spreadsheet, someone can say "turn to ABC000342" and everyone lands on the exact same page. That code is a Bates number.
Legal software charges a lot for this, and most free tools either watermark your files, cap the pages, or ask you to upload confidential documents to their servers. This guide shows how to Bates stamp a whole set of PDFs for free, continuously across every file, right in your browser, with nothing uploaded anywhere.
- Open the free Bates Numbering tool and drop in your PDF files.
- Set a prefix, a starting number and how many digits you want, for example ABC000001.
- Keep the numbering continuous across files, and pick the position and any pages to skip.
- Click Add Bates Numbers and download your stamped set. Your originals stay untouched.
What Bates numbering actually is
A Bates number is a unique, sequential stamp printed on every page of a document set. The classic form is a fixed prefix followed by a zero-padded number, like ACME000001, ACME000002, ACME000003, usually tucked into a bottom corner. The prefix identifies the matter or the producing party, and the running number guarantees that no two pages in the whole production ever share an identifier.
The name is a small piece of history. In the 1890s the Bates Manufacturing Company sold a self-advancing hand stamp that inked a new number with every press. The machine is long gone, but the practice, and the name, stuck.
Why it matters
Bates numbering exists to make thousands of loose pages referable and tamper evident. A few places it is essential:
- Legal discovery. Both sides exchange large document sets. A shared, unique number per page lets everyone cite the same evidence without confusion.
- Court filings and exhibits. Briefs and exhibits reference specific pages by their Bates number, so the record stays precise years later.
- Audits and compliance. Accountants and regulators need a clean, ordered trail where every page is accounted for and nothing can be quietly inserted or removed.
- Medical and insurance records. Large case files get one continuous sequence so a specific page can be pulled up instantly.
How to Bates stamp a PDF, free
Everything below happens in your browser, in the free Bates Numbering tool. Here is the whole process.
Step 1. Add your files
Drag in your PDFs or tap to browse. If your production is spread across several files, add them all in the order you want them numbered. Nothing is uploaded; each file is opened in your browser's own memory. If the documents are still separate and you want a single file, you can merge them into one PDF first, then number.
Step 2. Set the format
Choose a prefix, the starting number, and how many digits to zero-pad to, so 1 becomes 000001. Add a suffix if you need one, such as a confidentiality tag. Every thumbnail updates live, showing the exact stamp on the exact spot, so there are no surprises.
Step 3. Number continuously across files
This is what separates real Bates numbering from simple page numbers. With Continue numbering across files switched on, the sequence carries over from the last page of one document to the first page of the next, so the whole set shares one unbroken run of numbers. Turn it off and each file restarts, if that is what you need instead.
Step 4. Position, exhibits and page rules
Place the stamp in any of six positions and nudge the exact margins in points. Turn on the per-file counter to add an exhibit label, so each document is marked Exhibit 1, Exhibit 2 and so on. You can add a case reference too, giving a full stamp like Exhibit 1 Case XYZ 000001. Finally, choose which pages get numbered: skip the first or last page, number only odd or even pages, or list specific pages to skip. Skipped pages never take a number, so the sequence stays gap free.
Step 5. Stamp and download
Click Add Bates Numbers. Each file is stamped and handed back as a new PDF, or as a ZIP if you numbered several at once. Your original files are never modified, so you always keep a clean copy.
Bates numbers, page numbers and redaction
These three often appear on the same document but do very different jobs:
- Bates numbers are one running sequence across an entire set, a permanent unique reference per page.
- Page numbers restart at 1 in each document and only describe position within that single file.
- Redaction permanently removes sensitive text before a document is produced, and is usually done before Bates stamping.
A well-prepared production is often redacted first, then Bates numbered, so the final stamped set is both safe to share and precisely referable.
It all stays on your device
Legal documents are exactly the kind of files you should not be uploading to a random website. This tool never does. The stamping engine runs inside your browser, so confidential productions never leave your computer. If you want that same privacy across other document tasks, our guide to Browser mode explains how dozens of PDF tools can run fully on your device, even offline.
Frequently asked questions
What is Bates numbering?
Bates numbering is a way of stamping a unique, sequential identifier on every page of a document set, so each page can be referenced exactly. It is standard in law, accounting and medical records. A typical stamp looks like ABC000001, ABC000002 and so on, usually placed in a bottom corner. The name comes from the Bates automatic numbering machine used in the 19th century.
Is this Bates numbering tool free?
Yes. Without an account you can Bates stamp one PDF up to 80 MB. A free account lets you process up to three files at once and number them continuously as one sequence. There is no watermark, no daily cap and no subscription.
Can the numbering run continuously across several PDFs?
Yes, that is the point of true Bates numbering. Add all the files, keep Continue numbering across files switched on, and the sequence flows unbroken from the last page of one document to the first page of the next, so no two pages in the whole production share a number.
What is the difference between Bates numbers and page numbers?
Page numbers restart at 1 for every document and only describe position within that one file. Bates numbers are a single running sequence across an entire set of documents, designed to be a permanent, unique reference for each page during discovery or an audit. A page can have both.
Can I add an exhibit label like Exhibit 1?
Yes. Turn on the per-file counter and set a label such as Exhibit. Each document gets its own number, so file one is stamped Exhibit 1, file two Exhibit 2, and so on, alongside the running Bates number. You can also add a static reference like a case name.
Can I skip certain pages, like cover sheets?
Yes. You can skip the first or last page of each document, number only odd or only even pages, or type specific pages to skip such as 1, 3, 5-8. Skipped pages do not consume a Bates number, so the sequence stays gap free.
Do my files get uploaded to a server?
No. The whole tool runs in your browser using your own device. Your documents, which are often confidential legal files, never leave your computer, and the stamped copy is saved straight to your downloads. Your originals are never changed.