Watermark PDF
Stamp DRAFT, CONFIDENTIAL or your own text across every page.
Drop a PDF here
or click to browse
Files are processed on your device and never uploaded.
How it works
- Drop your PDF onto the tool.
- Type the watermark text, then set the size, colour, angle and opacity until it looks right.
- Optionally tick the repeat box to tile the text across the page, then click Add watermark and download.
Frequently asked questions
- Should I use a single watermark or the repeating pattern?
- One large diagonal line in the middle is the normal choice for marking a document DRAFT or CONFIDENTIAL — it reads clearly and stays out of the way. The repeating pattern covers the whole sheet and is harder to crop out or paint over, which makes it the better option for proofs, samples and anything you are sending out but do not want reused.
- What opacity keeps the document readable?
- Somewhere between 15 and 30 percent works for most files. Lighter than that and the watermark disappears when printed on a mono laser printer; heavier and it starts competing with the text underneath. Grey at around 25 percent is a reliable default, and it is worth checking one page at your intended print size before doing anything important.
- Can the watermark be removed by someone else?
- Not easily, but do not treat it as security. The text is drawn into each page’s content rather than added as a separate layer or annotation, so it cannot simply be clicked and deleted in a reader. Someone determined and equipped with the right software can still work around it, so a watermark deters casual reuse — it does not protect secrets.
- Does it work on scanned PDFs?
- Yes. The watermark is drawn on top of whatever the page already contains, so scans, photos and image-only PDFs are all fine. Pages that are rotated or a different size are handled individually, so the text stays centred and correctly angled on each one.
- Is my document uploaded to a server?
- No. The PDF is read, stamped and rebuilt entirely inside your browser, and the download is produced on your device. That is worth noting for this tool in particular: the documents people watermark are usually the confidential ones, and uploading them to a free website to mark them confidential would rather defeat the purpose.
About this tool
A watermark tells anyone holding your document what it is and what they may do with it. DRAFT stops a working version being circulated as final. CONFIDENTIAL sets expectations before the first paragraph is read. A company name or client name across a proof discourages it being passed on or reused. This tool adds that text to every page of an existing PDF, with no editor and no account.
You control how it looks: the text itself, the font size, the colour, the angle from flat to vertical, and the opacity. Two layouts are available — one large line through the centre of the page, which is the conventional look for DRAFT and CONFIDENTIAL, or a repeating tile across the whole sheet, which is much harder to crop away and suits proofs and samples you are sending outside the building.
Each page is measured before the text is drawn, so mixed documents behave properly. Landscape sheets, unusual page sizes and pages that a scanner rotated ninety degrees all get the watermark centred and angled correctly, rather than clipped at an edge or lying on its side. Because the text is written into the page content rather than added as an annotation, it prints, flattens and survives being merged into a larger file.
Two honest limits are worth stating. A watermark is a deterrent, not encryption — it makes casual copying awkward but will not stop a determined person with the right tools. And it changes the document permanently, so keep your clean original: the tool never modifies the file on your disk, it only hands you a stamped copy. Everything runs locally in your browser, so the document itself never leaves your device.