Watermark a PDF, free.
Stamp DRAFT, CONFIDENTIAL, or your logo across every page. Control opacity and angle, keep the text readable underneath - processed entirely in your browser.
Updated July 29, 2026
How to add a watermark to a PDF
Load the PDF
Pick the document to mark. Like every tool here, it opens on your device, not on a server.
Set up the watermark
Type the text or upload a logo, then tune size, opacity, and angle until it reads without shouting.
Apply and download
One click stamps every page and hands you the marked file.
A watermark that reads without wrecking the page
The classic mistake is making the watermark too dark. At 50 percent opacity, "CONFIDENTIAL" stops labeling the document and starts obscuring it. Start at 20 percent, diagonal, and only push darker if the page is mostly images. For logos, a transparent PNG at 40-50 percent of page width, centered, does the job without turning the page into an ad.
Be clear about what a watermark is for: it tells honest readers how to treat the document. DRAFT stops a work in progress being quoted as final; CONFIDENTIAL reminds people not to forward it. What it does not do is stop anyone determined - a visual mark can be edited out by someone with the right software and no scruples. If what you actually need is proof the document hasn't been altered, that's a cryptographic seal, not a watermark, and it's what a real digital signature provides.
Marking a draft before signature?
DRAFT comes off, signatures go on. When the wording is final, Document eSign routes it to every signer and returns a sealed copy - alterations after signing become detectable.
Watermark PDF, answered.
Is watermarking free?
Free, with a detail worth spelling out: we never stamp our own branding on your file. The only watermark on the output is the one you chose.
Does the document upload while being watermarked?
No - the stamping happens in your browser. For documents worth marking CONFIDENTIAL, that's rather the point.
Can I use my company logo?
Yes. Upload it as PNG or JPG; a transparent-background PNG sits best over text. Size and opacity are yours to tune.
Will the watermark make the text hard to read?
Not if you keep opacity low. Around 20 percent, diagonal, is the standard for a reason - visible at a glance, invisible while reading.
Can someone remove the watermark later?
A determined person with a PDF editor can, yes. Watermarks are signals for honest readers, not security. Tamper-proofing is a different mechanism - a cryptographic seal, which signed documents get through Document eSign.
The file is password-protected - can I watermark it?
Locked files won't open here. Make an unprotected copy in the source application and watermark that.
Keep your PDFs moving.
Finish the document, then make it official.
Stamps and numbers are cosmetic. A cryptographic seal is proof. Document eSign signs and seals documents on a free plan of 30 per month.