Watermark PDF
Add a customizable text watermark to your PDF with live preview
Drop a PDF here
Select a PDF to watermark
Max file size: 100MB
100% Private: All processing happens in your browser. Your files never leave your device.
This tool stamps a text watermark — the word “CONFIDENTIAL” by default — onto every page of a PDF, entirely in your browser using pdf-lib. You type the text and adjust position, font size, rotation, opacity and color; a live CSS preview over the first page shows the result before you commit, and the actual PDF is only generated when you press Add Watermark.
It's a text-only watermark tool: there's no option to stamp a logo or image onto the pages, only typed text rendered in a single bold font. If you need an image or logo watermark, this isn't the right tool for that; it's built specifically for word stamps like CONFIDENTIAL, DRAFT, SAMPLE or COPY laid diagonally or in a corner across a document.
How it works
1. Drop your PDF
Upload a .pdf (files over 100 MB are rejected). A password-protected or encrypted file shows “Password-Protected PDF — Unlock the PDF first before adding a watermark,” with a link to the PDF Unlock tool, and settings stay hidden until it's resolved.
2. Type your watermark text
The Watermark Text field starts pre-filled with “CONFIDENTIAL”; replace it with DRAFT, SAMPLE, COPY, a company name, or whatever the document needs. The Add Watermark button is disabled if this field is empty.
3. Set position, size, rotation, opacity and color
Position picks one of 5 spots — Center or one of the four corners. Font Size runs 12–120pt, Rotation 0–360° (315°, a diagonal top-right-to-bottom-left slant, is the default), and Opacity 5–100% (starts at 30%). Color is a hex picker plus a text field, starting at #808080 gray.
4. Check the live preview, then add it
The preview panel overlays your exact settings on the first page as you adjust them, with a note confirming the watermark “will be applied to all {n} pages.” Press Add Watermark, then Download Watermarked PDF once processing finishes; the file keeps your original name with “-watermarked” appended.
When you'd use it
Marking a document you're sharing as a draft
Stamping DRAFT diagonally across every page before circulating a document for review makes it visually obvious the content isn't final, reducing the chance an unfinished version gets treated as the final one.
Self-attesting a copy of your own document
When a form asks you to submit a “self-attested” photocopy, stamping SAMPLE or FOR VERIFICATION ONLY at low opacity over a scanned ID or certificate marks that specific copy without obscuring the text underneath.
Protecting a proposal or quote sent to a prospect
A low-opacity CONFIDENTIAL watermark across every page discourages a document from being forwarded or reused as though it were a public price list, while staying fully readable.
Distinguishing a review copy from the final deliverable
Watermarking every page of a review or preview PDF with COPY or REVIEW keeps it visually distinct from the final file you deliver once approved, without editing the underlying document.
Getting the opacity and rotation right for COPY / DRAFT stamps
Low opacity (roughly 15–30%, the default is 30%) keeps the underlying text fully readable while still making the stamp unmistakable — this is the typical setting for CONFIDENTIAL or DRAFT across a body of text. Higher opacity, closer to 60–100%, makes the watermark itself the focal point, which suits a short SAMPLE or COPY stamp where legibility of the page underneath matters less.
The diagonal 315° default rotation runs from the upper-right toward the lower-left and is the conventional angle for a corner-to-corner document stamp; 0° keeps the text horizontal, useful for a footer-style stamp placed in a corner position instead of the center.
Text only, applied to every page
There's no image or logo upload here — the watermark is always rendered text in a single bold font, positioned and rotated by the settings you choose. The same text, size, rotation, opacity, color and position are applied identically to every page of the PDF in one pass; there's no per-page or first-page-only option.
The color field accepts a hex value (the picker or typed text, e.g. #808080); it doesn't offer named colors or a saved palette, so pick or paste the hex code you need.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use a logo or image as the watermark instead of text?
No, this tool only supports typed text watermarks rendered in a bold font — there's no image or logo upload option.
What opacity should I use for a CONFIDENTIAL or DRAFT stamp?
Around 15–30% (the default is 30%) keeps the page text fully readable underneath while the stamp is still clearly visible. Push it toward 60–100% if you want the watermark itself to stand out more than the page content.
Does the watermark go on every page or just one?
Every page of the PDF gets the identical watermark in one pass. The live preview only shows the first page, but the same text, position, size, rotation, opacity and color apply document-wide.
Can I place the watermark in a corner instead of the center?
Yes — Position offers Center plus the four corners (top-left, top-right, bottom-left, bottom-right), each with the same size, rotation, opacity and color controls.
What happens with a password-protected PDF?
It's detected on upload and blocked from watermarking, showing a message to unlock it first with a link to the PDF Unlock tool. Upload the unlocked copy here afterward.
What's the largest PDF I can watermark here?
Files up to 100 MB are supported; the uploader checks the file size immediately upon selection.