Customise text, colour, opacity, rotation, and position with a live preview. Add to all pages or a custom range - free, private, no uploads.
Drop PDF File Here
Add a text watermark with full control over text, size, colour, opacity, rotation, and position.
Rendering...
Watermark
Size (pt)
Font
Colour
Opacity
35%
Drop image or click to upload
PNG, JPG, WebP, SVG
PNG, JPG, WebP, SVG
Opacity
35%
Scale
50%
Rotation
Quick:
Position
Tile (repeat across page)
Apply to
Comma-separated page numbers or ranges.
output.pdf
Save as:
.pdf
How to add a watermark to a PDF
No account, no uploads, no software to install. Your PDF is processed entirely in your browser.
Step 01
Open your PDF
Drop a PDF onto the tool or click Select PDF File. The first page renders in the live preview instantly.
Step 02
Type your watermark text
Enter any text - CONFIDENTIAL, DRAFT, your company name, or a URL. Adjust font size, rotation, colour, and opacity using the controls on the right.
Step 03
Position and preview
Choose one of 9 positions or enable Tile mode to repeat the watermark across the entire page. The live preview updates instantly with every change.
Step 04
Apply and download
Choose whether to apply to all pages or a specific range. Click Add Watermark, rename the output if needed, and download.
What each control does
Every setting updates the live preview instantly so you can fine-tune before committing to the output file.
Text
The watermark content
Up to 80 characters. Common values are CONFIDENTIAL, DRAFT, DO NOT COPY, SAMPLE, your company name, or a copyright notice.
Size
Font size in PDF points
8 to 200 pt. For a diagonal A4 watermark, 48-60 pt is typical. Tile mode works better with smaller text around 24-36 pt.
Rotation
Angle in degrees
-180 to 180. The default -35 gives the classic diagonal look. Use 0 for horizontal text, 90 for vertical text along the side.
Font
PDF standard font family
Helvetica (clean, modern), Times Roman (formal, serif), or Courier (monospaced, technical). All three are built into every PDF viewer.
Colour + Opacity
Visual weight of the watermark
Grey at 30-40% opacity is the most common. Red at 25% is used for urgent notices. Keep opacity low enough that the document content remains readable.
Position
Where the watermark sits on the page
9-position grid from top-left to bottom-right. Centre is the default. Enable Tile to repeat the watermark in a grid pattern across the whole page instead.
Tip: Use the page navigation arrows in the preview to check how the watermark looks on different pages - especially if your document has landscape and portrait pages mixed, or pages with varying background colours.
Why use this PDF watermark tool
Built for real workflows, not just a checkbox feature.
100% private - nothing uploaded
Your PDF is processed locally in your browser tab. Confidential documents, legal drafts, and financial reports never leave your device.
Live preview as you type
Every change - text, colour, size, opacity, rotation, position - updates the canvas preview immediately without processing the whole PDF.
Tile mode for full-page coverage
Toggle Tile to repeat the watermark in a repeating grid across the full page. Useful for security-sensitive documents where a single watermark can be cropped out.
Apply to all pages or a custom range
Watermark the full document or only specific pages using a range like 2-5, 8. Useful when a document has a cover page you want to keep clean.
PDF quality preserved
The watermark is added as a text layer directly to the PDF structure. Existing content, fonts, images, and layout are not touched or re-rendered.
Instant processing
No queue, no waiting for a server. A 100-page PDF is watermarked in a couple of seconds because everything runs locally in your browser.
When do you need to watermark a PDF?
Watermarks serve different purposes depending on the context - from marking document status to asserting ownership.
Legal and compliance
CONFIDENTIAL and DRAFT markings
Legal teams routinely watermark documents shared during review cycles. DRAFT prevents recipients from treating preliminary versions as final. CONFIDENTIAL sets clear handling expectations.
Creative and design
Portfolio and proof protection
Designers, photographers, and illustrators add watermarks to PDF proofs and portfolios before sharing with clients. Prevents use of work before payment is confirmed.
Education
Sample papers and answer keys
Teachers and institutions watermark sample papers distributed to students to indicate they are for practice only, or mark answer keys with DO NOT DISTRIBUTE before sharing selectively.
Business documents
Internal distribution control
Reports, strategy documents, and presentations shared internally can be watermarked with INTERNAL USE ONLY or the recipient's name to track the source if documents leak.
Real estate and finance
Proposal and valuation drafts
Valuations, proposals, and term sheets sent before final approval are marked DRAFT so recipients understand the figures may change. Prevents premature decision-making based on provisional numbers.
Publishing and reports
Review copies and pre-release documents
Publishers and research firms add FOR REVIEW ONLY or EMBARGOED watermarks to pre-release documents shared with journalists, reviewers, or select clients before official publication.
Important: PDF text watermarks are visible but can be removed by someone with a PDF editor. They are effective as a deterrent and for indicating document status, but they are not a substitute for encryption or access controls if you need hard security. For stronger protection, combine watermarking with password protection.
Use Tile mode for harder-to-remove watermarks
A single centred watermark can be cropped out if someone extracts a specific region of the page. Tiling repeats the watermark across the full page so there is no clean area to crop to. This is standard practice for sensitive documents shared as proofs.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about adding watermarks to PDF files.
Yes, completely free. No account, no watermark on the watermark, no file size limits, and no daily quota. The tool runs entirely in your browser using open-source libraries.
Nothing is uploaded. All processing happens locally in your browser tab. Your PDF never leaves your device. This makes it safe to watermark confidential contracts, legal documents, financial reports, or any sensitive content.
No. The watermark is added as a text element directly to the PDF structure. Existing content - images, fonts, vectors, and layout - is not touched or re-rendered. The output file is structurally identical to the input except for the added text layer.
Yes. Switch the Apply to toggle from "All pages" to "Custom range" and enter specific pages or ranges - for example 2-5, 8 to watermark only those pages. This is useful when you want to keep the cover page or title page clean.
Yes. Use the colour picker to choose any colour, or type a hex code directly into the colour field. Combine the colour with the opacity slider to get exactly the visual weight you need - light grey at 30% for subtle watermarks, or red at 40% for urgent notices.
Single placement puts one watermark at the position you choose (centre, top-left, etc.). Tile mode repeats the watermark in a repeating diagonal grid across the entire page so every part of the page is covered. Tile is harder to work around by cropping and is standard practice for sensitive proof documents.
Yes, with a PDF editor. Text watermarks are a deterrent and a status indicator, not hard security. Anyone with access to a PDF editing tool can remove a text layer. For stronger protection, combine watermarking with password protection. Use Tile mode to make simple cropping ineffective.
No. Encrypted PDFs cannot be opened or modified without the password. Remove the password protection first using a PDF unlocker, then watermark the file here.
Yes. The tool is responsive and works on modern mobile browsers. The controls stack below the preview on smaller screens. For very large PDFs over 50 MB on mobile, a desktop browser gives better stability.