A watermark tells anyone holding the document what its status is: a draft that should not be signed, a copy for one recipient, a confidential version. This tool writes your text diagonally across the centre of each page, by default in grey at 25 percent opacity, so the page underneath stays readable.
What does the watermark look like?
The text is set at 45 degrees, centred on every page whatever its size, so a document that mixes A4 and landscape pages still gets a centred mark. You can change the text size (60 point by default), the opacity and the colour. Red at low opacity reads clearly as a warning; grey is quieter. Short words work best: DRAFT, COPY, CONFIDENTIAL, a client name or a date.
The watermark is real text drawn on a layer over the page. It prints the same way it looks on screen.
Can someone remove it?
A determined person with a PDF editor can delete an overlay layer, so treat a watermark as a label, not as security. If you need to stop people opening or copying the file, use Protect PDF with a password as well.
Does it change my pages?
The original page content is not redrawn or compressed. Text stays selectable and images keep their quality. The file size grows only slightly.
Are my files uploaded?
On this page the watermark is added in your browser. Your PDF is not uploaded, so the file never leaves your device, which is the point when the document is confidential in the first place.
What are the limits?
Free covers PDFs up to 50 MB with no daily cap; Pro goes to 500 MB. Marking a whole set of drafts is a job for the pipeline builder; you can try a pipeline on up to 3 files for free, and larger runs need Pro or credits.
How to add a watermark to a PDF
- Drop your PDF onto the drop zone.
- Type the watermark text and adjust size, opacity or colour if you like.
- Click Add watermark.
- Download the watermarked PDF.
FAQ
Can I use an image or logo as the watermark?
Not yet. The PDF watermark is text only.
Is the watermark on every page?
Yes. It is applied to all pages of the document.
Will the watermark cover my text?
It sits on top of the page, but at the default opacity the text underneath stays readable. Raise the opacity only if the mark needs to dominate.
Can I watermark images instead of PDFs?
Yes. Use Watermark Image for JPG, PNG and other image files.