How do I add a watermark to a PDF?

Step by step

1. Select your PDF. Open Watermark PDF and click “Select PDF file”, or drop a PDF onto the page. A preview of the first page appears.
2. Enter text or choose an image. Type your watermark text, such as DRAFT or CONFIDENTIAL. To use a logo instead, choose “Image” and select a PNG or JPG.
3. Set how it looks. Adjust the size, colour, opacity and angle. The angle accepts any value from −180° to 180°.
4. Set the position and layer. Pick where the watermark goes and choose whether it sits over or under the content. Tick “Repeat across the page” for a mosaic.
5. Choose the pages. Keep “All pages”, or choose “Only these pages” and enter page numbers or ranges such as 1-3, 5, 8-.
6. Add the watermark and download. Click “Add watermark”, then “Download”. To make the watermark harder to remove, continue with Protect PDF.

Settings that work well

The live preview lets you try settings before you create the file. These starting points suit most documents:

• Opacity: 20–30% keeps the page readable while the watermark stays clearly visible. 100% is fully solid.
• Angle: 45° runs the text diagonally across the page, so it is easy to see without blocking whole lines.
• Colour: light grey or a soft colour works on most pages.
• Layer: “Under the content” paints the watermark first and puts the page’s text and pictures on top, so everything stays readable.
• Mosaic: for photos or designs you share online, “Repeat across the page” makes the watermark much harder to crop out.

For a logo, a PNG with a transparent background looks best. You can set its width, opacity, angle and position.

Typical uses

• DRAFT: mark a contract or report that is still being reviewed, so nobody mistakes it for the final version.
• CONFIDENTIAL: label internal reports before you share them.
• Copies for an application: stamp a scanned ID or certificate with a note saying it is a copy, so it is clear what the copy is for.
• Ownership: put your name or logo on designs and photos you send to clients.

Watermark text can be written in many scripts, including Latin, Thai, Hindi, Bengali, Arabic, Urdu, Japanese, Chinese and Vietnamese. The tool writes it as real, selectable PDF text with an embedded Noto font that includes only the letters you use, so it stays sharp and can be searched and copied. Scripts without an output font, such as Korean or emoji, are added as a high-resolution image.

Common problems

The watermark disappeared on a scanned page

A scanned page is one big picture. If you choose “Under the content”, the scan covers the watermark. Choose “Over the content” for scans and lower the opacity so the page stays readable.

The watermark hides the text

Lower the opacity slider, or switch to “Under the content” if the PDF has real text rather than a scan.

How much protection a watermark gives

A watermark tells readers what a document is, but it is not a lock. Anyone with a PDF editor who is determined enough can remove it. To make that harder, add a password with Protect PDF after you watermark the file. It encrypts the PDF on your device.

1. Download the watermarked PDF.
2. Open Protect PDF, select the file, then type a password and repeat it.
3. Optionally restrict editing or copying, and set a separate permissions password.
4. Click “Protect PDF”, download the file, and send the password through a different channel, for example by phone.

Most PDF readers respect restrictions, but some ignore them. The password needed to open the file is the real protection.

Tools used in this guide

• Watermark PDF
• Protect PDF

Related guides

• How do I password protect a PDF?
• How to add page numbers to a PDF
• How to sign a PDF without printing it