I unsuccessfully used the "pages" feature in Windows Explorer, as well as in Directory Opus 10 and Free Commander XT (which I installed just for that reason, to try it out) to display the page count of multiple PDFs in a folder.
All my PDF's are free to edit, i.e. not write-protected. I don't understand why any PDF reader can display the (correct) page number, but none of the file explorers can? (In the "details" view of course.)
The only documents whose page count is displayed are MS Word documents.
As you know for such information a Shell Extension Handler for PDF should be installed, but is there any?
On a side-note: Did that change in Windows 8?
Initial research: Google search was unsuccessful, the only slightly related SE topic I found was "How to count pages in multiple PDF files?".
Best Answer
For non-natively supported file types the Windows Shell needs shell extension handlers (sort of a plugin) to extend some of the Shell functionality to these file types.
Under Windows XP or earlier, the Shell uses the called Column Handler extension to show files metadata in the Windows Explorer details view columns.
Since Vista, the Shell uses the more versatile Property (or Metadata) Handler. This extension is also used to show and edit the files metadata on the Windows Explorer details pane and file properties details tab, and to show metadata on many other file dialogs (file delete confirmation, etc.). It's also required to have these files metadata indexed by the Windows Search indexer. The indexer may also use a IFilter extension to index the files text content.
The PDF file type is not natively supported by the Windows Shell (this has not changed in Windows 8.x, nor Windows 10), so you will need to install a PDF Property Handler in order to access the PDFs metadata.
I develop a commercial tool, the PDF-ShellTools, that provides the Windows Shell with a PDF Property Handler.