OmniDocHow to set and adjust page numbers after converting Excel to PDF
Explain clearly where to set page numbers when converting Excel to PDF, how to avoid page number confusion, and how to remedy the problem after the PDF has been exported. Step-by-step instructions with checklists and frequently asked questions.
Key points of this article
- Try to set the page number in Excel before exporting, using the "page of total pages" format, which is more reliable than filling it in after exporting.
- When multiple worksheets are exported separately, the page number of each PDF starts from 1, and the starting page number must be unified before merging.
- The page number should be checked page by page in the print preview or exported PDF, especially the footer after the page break position is changed.
- If the exported PDF is missing page numbers, the simple way is to go back to Excel to make up the settings and re-export.
Many people use Excel to prepare reports, financial tables or course schedules. After exporting the PDF, they find that each page has no page number, or the page number is recalculated from 1, which does not match the binding order. This kind of problem is usually not that the file is damaged, but that the page number is not set before exporting.
This article is written for readers who need to hand over their Excel spreadsheets to someone else to print, file, or submit. After reading, you can correctly insert page numbers in Excel, determine how to adjust the exported PDF, and know how to handle page numbers when merging multiple files.
The following method is based on "set up in Excel first, then export PDF", and then adds several remedial methods after exporting.
Where to set the page number? One sentence conclusion
The page number belongs to the content of the header or footer and needs to be added in the Excel page settings. When exporting PDF, Excel will bring in the header and footer. If you want to add something after exporting, you usually have to go back to Excel and redo it, or use a PDF tool to add it separately. The former is more trouble-free.
| your situation | Recommended practices | reason |
|---|---|---|
| It hasn't been exported yet. The table has only one worksheet. | Export directly after the page number is inserted in the Excel footer | Page numbers are generated with the file, and the page number position is consistent with the paging. |
| The table has multiple worksheets, which need to be combined into one PDF | Set the footer uniformly in Excel and export the entire workbook together | The page number is continuous and no post-splicing is required. |
| Export multiple worksheets into multiple PDFs | Set the starting page number of each file separately and check the order before merging | By default, the page number of each PDF starts at 1. |
| The exported PDF does not have a page number | Go back to the Excel complement settings and re-export | The operation of adding text directly to PDF is more tedious, and redirect is more reliable. |
| Just adjust the page order of PDF or delete extra pages | Page manipulation using the PDF editor | The page number itself remains unchanged, but the order and number of pages can be adjusted |
# before you start: confirm these points first
- 1. Confirm the paging position of the form. * the paging of Excel depends on paper size, scaling, and margins. The page number of the footer will follow each page, so first take a look at what is assigned to which page in the page layout view to prevent the page number from falling where it should not be.
- 2. Confirm the print area. * if there is some auxiliary data in the form that does not need to be exported, set the print area first, otherwise the content will also occupy the page and the page number will be more than expected.
- 3. Confirm the page number format. the common formats are "1" with only numbers, and "page 1 of 10". The latter is more suitable for documents that need to be handed over or bound, because the reader can see at a glance whether the page is missing.
- 4. Confirm that there are multiple worksheets. * when Excel exports, you can choose to export the current worksheet or the entire workbook. The page number continuity obtained by the two options is different, so you should think carefully before exporting.
- 5. Confirm end use. * if the PDF is to be printed and bound, the page number should be as close to the bottom and outside of the page as possible to avoid being obscured by the binding line. If you only use it for screen reading, the location of the page number doesn't matter much, but make sure you have it on every page.
# steps to insert the page number of "what pages are there" in Excel
- Open the workbook that needs to be exported, switch to the page layout view, and confirm the content range of each page.
two. Go to the page setup, find the header footer option, select the footer and edit it.
- Enter text, such as "No." on the left, middle, or right side of the footer, and then insert a placeholder for the current page number.
- Then enter "Page Total", then insert the placeholder for the total number of pages, and finally add "Page".
- If you need the page number to start with a number, change the starting page number in the page setup, for example, starting at 3, so that this table is part of a larger file.
- Repeat the same operation for other worksheets or uniformly use the same footer format.
- Use print preview to check that the page number is displayed correctly, and then export to PDF. When you export, select the scope you want, that is, the entire workbook or the current worksheet.
After export, open PDF directly, turn from the first page to the last page, and make sure that the page number is continuous and the position is correct.
# check item by item after completion
After getting the PDF, it is recommended to check according to the following table, especially if the form is long or divided into multiple worksheets.
| Check item | What do you think? | What if there's a problem? |
|---|---|---|
| Is there a page number on every page? | Flip through the footer page by page | Some worksheets are not set if they are missing. Redirect them after returning to Excel to fix them. |
| Whether the page number is continuous | Look at the numbers on the first, middle and last pages | The files exported by multiple tables start from 1 respectively and need to be processed according to the third part. |
| Is the total number of pages correct? | Compare "several pages in total" with the actual number of pages | If there is a blank page in the form, go back to Excel to adjust the print area |
| Is the page number blocked? | Check the distance between the footer and the edge of the page | Redirect after adjusting margin or footer position |
| Whether the page order is correct | Compare the order of the contents of the table | Adjust the page order in the PDF editor, or go back to Excel to adjust the paging |
# how to unify the page number when merging multiple PDF?
If you are exporting several worksheets to PDF, and then synthesizing a document, there will be two common problems with the page number: first, each file starts from 1, and duplicate page numbers appear after the merger; second, the total number of pages has not been updated after the merger, and the "total number of pages" is still the old number.
There are two solutions. First, set the starting page number uniformly in Excel before export, so that the page number of each file is followed by the last page of the previous file. Second, if the page numbers are fixed, accept them, arrange the files in the correct order when merging, and mark the order in the file name to avoid misunderstanding.
Merging and splitting PDF can be done in the PDF editor of the OmniDoc desktop client, which supports page insertion, deletion, rotation, rearrangement, merge, and split. Note that the merge only changes the page order and does not recalculate the page number, so try to set the page number correctly before exporting. The desktop client can be downloaded from download.omnidoc.top.
# Core comparison
Set the page number at different stages, the effect is more obvious.
| Set the timing | Advantages | Shortcoming |
|---|---|---|
| Set it in Excel before export | The page number is consistent with the paging, the format is uniform, and it is not easy to make mistakes. | Need to re-export to see the results |
| Add in PDF after export | There is no need to go back to the original file | The operation of adding page numbers is tedious, and it is not easy to unify the format and location of page numbers. |
| Uniformly numbered after merging | Suitable for situations with multiple files | The page number will not be recalculated automatically and needs to be planned in advance. |
# frequently asked questions (FAQ)
1. What is the reason why the page number disappeared after Excel was transferred to PDF?
The common reason is that the footer is not set, or it is set on a worksheet, and the scope selected at the time of export does not include it. Go back to Excel to check the footer before re-exporting.
2. What if the page number shows "page 1" but does not have a total number of pages?
Insert a placeholder for the total number of pages in the footer and place it in the "co-page" position. If it is still not displayed, check to see the full number of pages in the print preview.
3. The page number is very small, or it has been cut, how to adjust it?
Adjust the margins, leave enough space for the footer, and then adjust the font size of the footer text. Finally, confirm through the print preview, and then export the PDF.
4. Can you number only a few pages of PDF?
If the file is exported by Excel, the safe way is to set the required page number in Excel, or split it into two worksheets to deal with separately. Directly on the PDF only for some pages to fill the page number, the operation is more tedious, not recommended as the main method.
5. Do I have to change the page number of the scanned PDF?
The page number of the scanned piece is already part of the picture and cannot be modified directly like the Excel footer. If you need to renumber, you should go back to the original file processing, or split and remerge as needed.
# Summary
How to set the page number after Excel to PDF, the key is to insert the format of "several pages in total" in the footer before export, and confirm the paging and starting page number. The exported PDF should be checked page by page, and the page numbering order should be planned in advance when multiple files are merged.
