Watermark PDF
Add a text watermark such as DRAFT to all or selected pages of a PDF. Your file stays on your device.
Drop a PDF hereAdd a PDF from your device
How to watermark a PDF
Choose a PDF
Drop or choose one PDF file.
Set up the watermark
Type the text, pick a font, color, opacity, size, rotation and position, and choose All pages or Selected pages. The preview shows the result.
Apply and download
Press Apply watermark, rename the file if you like, then download it or open it in a new tab.
Settings
- Text and font. The text is one line of up to 100 characters. It starts as “DRAFT”. Choose Sans serif (Helvetica), Serif (Times) or Monospace (Courier), with optional bold. These are the PDF’s built-in standard fonts. Custom fonts are not supported in this release.
- Color, opacity and size. Pick any color. Opacity runs from 5% to 100% and starts at 25%. Text size is a percentage of each page’s width (2–40%, starting at 16%), so pages of different sizes get consistent proportions.
- Rotation. From -180° to 180°, counter-clockwise. It starts at 45°.
- Which pages. Choose All pages, or Selected pages and type pages such as
1, 3-5, 8. The syntax is the same as in Split PDF. A page listed twice is watermarked once.
Placement
Placement follows each page as you see it: page rotation and the visible page area (crop box) are taken into account.
- Single watermark. Choose one of nine positions in a 3 × 3 grid. The default is the center, with a small fixed margin from the edges. The watermark, including its rotated corners, is kept inside the page: if the text is too long or too large, it is drawn smaller on those pages and the tool lists which pages.
- Repeat across the page. The mark is repeated in a staggered diagonal pattern, with horizontal and vertical spacing set as a percentage of page width. Marks are cut off at the page edges. The number of marks per page is capped, with the spacing widened automatically when needed. The whole document is capped at 40,000 repeated marks.
Supported characters
The built-in fonts cover Western European characters only (roughly Latin-1): letters with accents such as é, ü and ñ, and common punctuation and €. Other characters, such as Chinese, Cyrillic, Greek, emoji or ✓, are refused with a message naming them. They are never silently replaced.
What is kept and what may be lost
The original file is never changed. Nothing is written until you press Apply watermark; progress shows per page, and Cancel stops the work.
| Item | In the saved file | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Yes: Real text | The watermark is written into the PDF as text drawn over the page content. Pages are not turned into images. | |
| Yes: Kept | Existing text stays selectable and searchable, and vector content stays sharp. | |
| Yes: Kept | Pages keep their order, size and rotation. Pages you did not select are unchanged. | |
| No: Not guaranteed | These are kept as loaded where possible, but that is not guaranteed. | |
| No: Not valid | Saving changes the document, so a digital signature in the original will not be valid in the saved file. |
- Preview. Pick any of the selected pages to see it with the watermark. The preview uses the same placement calculation as the saved PDF.
- Out of date results. If you change a setting after applying, the result is marked “Out of date”. Apply again to get a new file. Renaming the file does not make it out of date.
- A watermark is not protection. A visible watermark does not prevent copying, editing or removal.
- Not included. Logo or image watermarks, custom fonts, passwords, watermark removal and several documents at once are not part of this release. For image watermarks on photos, use Watermark Images.
Limits
- 100 MB
- 2,000
- 100
- 40,000
You can watermark one PDF at a time. These are application limits. Devices with little memory, especially phones, may struggle with very long documents.
What happens to your file
The watermark is added by code running in your browser tab. Nothing is uploaded. Your original file is never changed. See Privacy.
Protected and damaged PDFs
- Password-protected and encrypted PDFs are rejected.
- The tool does not remove or bypass passwords.
- Damaged files and files that are not PDFs are rejected.
Troubleshooting
My text was refused
The message names the characters the built-in fonts cannot draw. Remove or replace them with Western European characters.
The watermark is smaller than I set
A single watermark is kept inside the page. When it would not fit, it is drawn smaller on those pages and the tool lists them. Try less text, a smaller size or less rotation.
The spacing changed on its own
The number of repeated marks per page is capped. If your spacing would exceed that, it is widened automatically.
A file was rejected as password-protected
Remove the protection in an app you trust that has the password, save the PDF, then add it again. This tool does not remove passwords.
Frequently asked questions
Is my PDF uploaded?
No. It is watermarked in your browser. The site only delivers the page and its code.
Does the watermark lower quality?
No. Pages are not turned into pictures. The watermark is text drawn over the original content, so existing text stays selectable and vector graphics stay sharp.
Can it stop people copying or editing my PDF?
No. A visible watermark does not prevent copying, editing or removal.
Can I use a logo or remove a watermark?
Not in this release. For logos on photos, see Watermark Images.
Do I need an account?
No. The tool is free and needs no sign-in.