Add a watermark to a PDF, without uploading it

Stamp DRAFT, CONFIDENTIAL, or your own text diagonally across every page.

Drop a PDF here

Any PDF with a normal page structure.

Nothing is uploaded. The file is read on your device.

How to watermark a PDF

Step 1

Open your PDF

The mark is applied to every page in the document.

Step 2

Write your text

DRAFT, CONFIDENTIAL, a client name, a case number. Anything up to 40 characters.

Step 3

Set opacity and angle

Light enough to read the document through, dark enough to be unmissable. Then download.

What it handles

What the watermark tool handles

01

Your own text

Anything up to 40 characters. DRAFT, a client name, a case number.

02

Adjustable weight

Set opacity so the mark reads clearly without obscuring the document underneath.

03

Scales to the page

Size is derived from the page, so it looks right on A4 and on a large-format sheet alike.

04

Every page

The mark is applied across the whole document in one pass.

What a watermark is and is not

Useful as a label. Not a security control, and it is worth being clear about the difference.

It cannot be toggled off

The text is drawn into the page content, so no reader will hide it. That is what makes it useful for circulating drafts.

It is not protection

Someone determined can edit it out. Treat a watermark as a statement of status, not as a barrier. If a document must not be altered, that needs a different mechanism.

Size follows the page

The mark scales to the page, so it reads the same on A4 as on a large-format sheet without adjustment.

Dense pages need less

On text-heavy documents drop the opacity. The mark only needs to be noticed, not to compete with the content.

Questions

Can the watermark be removed?

It is drawn into the page content, so it cannot be toggled off in a reader. It is not a security feature though. A determined person can edit it out. Treat it as a label, not protection.

Can I use an image as a watermark?

Not yet. Text only.

Will it cover my text?

At the default opacity it sits lightly behind. Lower the opacity if your pages are dense.