Free PDF tool

Add a watermark to a PDF

Stamp words like DRAFT, CONFIDENTIAL or COPY across every page, then download the PDF.

Choose a PDF

Your files stay in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.

Short answer

Open your PDF below, type your watermark or pick DRAFT, CONFIDENTIAL or COPY, choose the direction, colour and strength, check the preview and press Add watermark to download it. The watermark goes over every page at the strength you pick, and the text beneath stays readable. It is free, and the file stays in your browser.

Updated 25 October 2026

How to add a watermark to a PDF

1
Open the PDF
Press Choose a PDF or drop it on the box.
2
Write the watermark
Type your text or tap one of the suggestions. Arabic and other scripts work too.
3
Style it
Choose diagonal or straight, once or repeated across the page, a colour and how strong it looks. The preview shows the result.
4
Add and download
Press Add watermark, then Download.

What a watermark is for

DRAFT tells a reader the terms aren't final, so nobody signs or acts on the wrong version. CONFIDENTIAL reminds them not to forward it. COPY or SAMPLE marks a document that isn't the original. A repeated watermark with a name, such as Prepared for Ahmed Khan, makes a leaked copy easy to trace.

A watermark is a label, not a lock

Anyone with a PDF editor can remove or cover a watermark with some effort, and it doesn't stop copying or printing. It works because it is visible and honest: it tells every reader what the document is. To prove who signed a document and that it hasn't changed since, you need a sealed, signed PDF with an audit trail, which is what sending it for signature gives you.

Drafts and signing

Send watermarked drafts for review, then send the clean final version for signature. Signing a document marked DRAFT invites an argument later about whether it was ever meant to be final.

Questions people ask

Can I use my own words?

Yes. Type anything up to 60 characters, in any language, including Arabic.

Can the watermark go on just one page?

This tool marks every page. To mark one page only, split it out with Split PDF, watermark it, and merge it back.

Will the text underneath still be readable?

Yes, at Faint or Medium strength. The watermark is see-through, and the text beneath can still be selected and searched.

Can I add an image or logo as a watermark?

Not yet. This tool adds text watermarks.

Need it signed? Send it for signature

Upload the PDF and we place every signature, initials and date box for each signer. They sign on their phone, and you get a sealed PDF with a certificate of completion. From $5 a month.

Send a document for signature