Add Watermark to PDF — Free Online Tool

Watermark PDF adds visible text or image marks such as Draft, Confidential, Approved, or a company logo. It helps label document status before a PDF is shared outside its original editing workflow.

What happens in the browser

The browser places text or image content onto selected pages at the coordinates, opacity, and rotation you choose. The mark is written into a new PDF copy so it appears in normal PDF readers and print output.

Step-by-step workflow

  1. Open the PDF in the watermark tool.
  2. Choose a text watermark or upload an image logo.
  3. Adjust placement, opacity, size, rotation, and page range.
  4. Preview the mark against the document content.
  5. Download the watermarked PDF.

When this tool is useful

  • Marking drafts before client review.
  • Adding confidential or internal-use notices.
  • Branding deliverables with a light logo.
  • Labeling sample files so they are not mistaken for final copies.

Limitations to know before downloading

  • A watermark is a visual notice, not a security feature.
  • People can still screenshot or recreate visible information.
  • Important document text can become harder to read if opacity is too high.

Privacy and file handling

The PDF and watermark image are handled in browser memory. The file is not uploaded to apply the mark.

Adding a watermark to a PDF — text or image

Watermarks serve two very different purposes: marking a document as a draft or confidential copy, and branding an artefact you are handing to a client. The visual settings are the same; the intent changes what you write and where you place it. This page handles both from the same tool.

Text vs image watermarks

Text watermarks are lighter, scale to any resolution and are easy to tweak (rotate 45°, 30% opacity, muted grey — the classic "DRAFT" look). Image watermarks are the right choice for a real logo, especially if it has curves, gradients, or precise colour. Use a PNG with a transparent background at roughly the final size you want on the page — scaling a 200 px logo up to fill an A4 will look pixelated.

Step-by-step

  1. Upload the PDF.
  2. Choose text or image. Set opacity, rotation, position, and which pages should receive the watermark.
  3. Preview the first page in the panel. Adjust until it reads the way you want.
  4. Download. The watermark is stamped into each selected page as real page content, so it cannot be hidden by turning off a layer.

What a watermark does not do

A watermark is a visual mark. It does not prevent screenshots, re-typing, or someone opening the PDF in an editor and cropping it off. If you actually need to restrict what a recipient can do, combine watermarking with Protect PDF (owner password with printing/copying disabled) and Flatten PDF.