Add a watermark to a PDF

Mark a document as draft, confidential or yours — with opacity, angle and placement you can see on the page as you adjust them.

Add a watermark now Try the sample file

Free · no sign-up · your file never leaves your device

A watermark is a small thing that has to look right. Too dark and it obscures the text; too light and nobody notices it; badly placed and it sits awkwardly over a table on page four.

PeppyPDF draws the watermark live on the actual pages behind the settings dialog, so you adjust opacity and angle while looking at your own document rather than a generic preview.

How to add a watermark to a PDF

Three steps, and nothing to install.

Open the PDF

Drag in the document you want to mark.

Set up the watermark

Open Tools → Watermark. Type your text or upload a logo, then set opacity, rotation and position — centred, tiled, top or bottom. The pages update as you change each setting.

Apply, then export

Apply the watermark and press Export PDF. It is drawn into every page you selected, not layered as a removable annotation.

What makes this one different

Live on your own pages

The preview is the document itself, so you can see immediately whether the angle clashes with a heading or a table.

Text or image

Type CONFIDENTIAL or DRAFT, or upload a company logo as a PNG with transparency.

All pages or a selection

Mark the whole document, or select specific pages in the sidebar and watermark only those.

Baked in on export

The watermark becomes part of the page content rather than a layer a recipient can click and delete.

Questions

The things people ask most about this tool.

Can I watermark only some pages?

Yes. Select the pages you want in the left sidebar, then choose the selected-pages option in the watermark dialog.

What opacity should I use?

Around 15 to 25 per cent works for a large diagonal watermark over text — visible enough to register, light enough to read through. Small corner logos can sit higher, at 40 to 60 per cent.

Can the recipient remove the watermark?

Not easily. It is drawn into the page content rather than added as an annotation. Combining it with a password that disables editing makes removal harder still.

Can I use my company logo?

Yes. Upload a PNG, JPG or WEBP. A PNG with a transparent background gives the cleanest result over text.

Will the watermark print?

Yes. It is part of the page, so it appears in print exactly as it does on screen.