peartools

Add Watermark to PDF

Stamp CONFIDENTIAL, DRAFT, or your own wording across the pages of a PDF. Set the size, color, angle, and how see-through it is, put one on each page or repeat it across the whole sheet, and see the result before you save. Everything happens in your browser, so nothing is uploaded.

Drag and drop your PDF here, or

Up to 100 MB. Everything runs in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.

What a PDF watermark does

A watermark is text laid over every page of a document, usually pale and tilted so you read straight through it. It answers a question the page itself cannot: what is this copy, and what should you do with it? DRAFT says the numbers may still change. CONFIDENTIAL says do not forward this. SAMPLE says you are looking at a proof, not the finished work.

This tool draws that text as a see-through layer on top of your existing pages. Nothing underneath is redrawn, so the document stays searchable and the text stays selectable. You choose the wording, the font, the size, the color, how faint it is, and how far it tilts.

One large diagonal stamp in the middle of the page is the classic look. Repeating a smaller version across the whole sheet is harder to crop out of a screenshot, which is why proofs and previews often use it. Both are a click apart here.

Why use our PDF watermark tool

  • ·Free. No signup, no paywall, and the tool never adds a watermark of its own.
  • ·Runs in your browser. A document you are stamping CONFIDENTIAL should not be uploaded to a stranger's server, and here it never is.
  • ·You see it before you save it. The preview shows the real page with the real watermark on it, page by page.
  • ·Tiled or single. Repeat the text across the sheet, or place one copy in any of nine spots.
  • ·Your text stays real text. The pages are not turned into pictures, so the file stays small and searchable.

How to add a watermark to a PDF

  1. 1

    Add your PDF

    Drag your PDF onto the box or click to pick a file. It stays in your browser and is never uploaded. The tool reads how many pages it has and shows you the first one.

  2. 2

    Type the wording

    Write anything you want, or click one of the ready-made stamps like CONFIDENTIAL, DRAFT, or DO NOT COPY. Pick a sans, serif, or mono font to go with it.

  3. 3

    Set the size, color, and angle

    Choose one watermark per page or repeat it across the whole sheet. Set how see-through it is, tilt it to a diagonal, and pick the color. The preview updates as you go.

  4. 4

    Download the watermarked PDF

    Click the button to stamp every page you chose and save the new file. Your original PDF on disk is left exactly as it was.

What a watermark protects, and what it does not

A watermark is a label, not a lock. It works on people: it stops a draft from being mistaken for a final version, it reminds a reader that a document is private, and it makes an unauthorized copy obvious at a glance. That is real value, and for most documents it is all you need.

What it cannot do is stop someone with the right software from taking it off again. The text sits on top of the page as its own layer, and anyone who can edit a PDF can remove that layer. Watermarking is also not a way to hide anything: the words underneath are still there and still copyable, so covering a bank account number with a stamp does not make it private.

If the point is that nobody can read something, you need to throw the text away rather than cover it. Our redact PDF tool flattens the marked pages to pictures so the hidden words cannot be recovered. And if you want your logo across the page rather than words, use add an image to a PDF and turn the opacity down.

When to watermark a PDF

A watermark is worth adding whenever the copy you are sending is not the whole story. These are the cases that come up most:

  • ·People sending out a draft. Mark a document DRAFT so nobody circulates an unfinished version or quotes a number that is still going to change.
  • ·Photographers, designers, and agencies. Put SAMPLE or a studio name across a proof PDF before a client sees it, so the preview cannot quietly become the final delivery.
  • ·Offices handling private paperwork. Stamp CONFIDENTIAL on contracts, payslips, or medical forms so anyone who picks up a printout knows how it should be treated.
  • ·Anyone sharing a copy of an official document. Write who the copy is for and why, such as “For bank use only”, so a scan of your passport or a bill cannot easily be reused somewhere else.

Frequently asked questions

How do I add a watermark to a PDF for free?
Add your PDF, type the wording you want, set the size, color, angle, and how see-through it should be, then download the new file. There is no signup and no limit on how many files you do.
Can I put a CONFIDENTIAL or DRAFT stamp on a PDF?
Yes. CONFIDENTIAL, DRAFT, COPY, SAMPLE, and DO NOT COPY are one click away, and you can type your own wording instead. Diagonal gray text at about 25% see-through is the look most people expect from a stamp.
Can I watermark only some pages?
Yes. Choose every page, the first page only, or type a list like 1-3, 7 to pick exactly which pages get stamped. The rest of the document is left alone.
Will the watermark make my text hard to read?
Not if you keep it see-through. Around 15% to 30% is readable as a stamp while the words underneath stay perfectly clear. Turn it up towards 100% only when you want the watermark to dominate the page.
Can someone remove the watermark from my PDF?
Yes, with the right software they can. A watermark is a visual marker, not a lock. It tells an honest reader how to treat the document, but it does not stop a determined person from editing it out. If you need information to be genuinely unreadable, redact the PDF instead, which throws the hidden text away.
Does the watermark go behind or in front of the text?
In front, drawn as a see-through layer on top of the page. Your original text and images are not redrawn or re-encoded, so the document stays selectable and searchable exactly as it was.
Why can the tool not write my wording?
The built-in PDF fonts cover the usual Latin letters, numbers, and punctuation, plus accented characters like é and ü. Emoji and non-Latin scripts such as Arabic, Chinese, or Cyrillic are outside that set, and the tool tells you which characters it cannot write before you download.
Are my PDF files private?
Yes. The whole process runs in your browser. Your PDF is never uploaded to a server or saved anywhere, and once the page has loaded you can even use it offline.