How to watermark a PDF
- Drop your PDF into the box above (or click to browse).
- Choose Add text, Add image, or Remove watermarks.
- Adjust opacity, rotation, and other settings, then click the button to run it and download the result.
Watermark vs stamp
A watermark is drawn behind the page content — the text or logo below the existing content, faint enough to identify a document without obscuring it. A stamp is drawn on top of the page content instead, so it stays visible even over images, tables, or filled-in areas. Use a watermark for background branding like "DRAFT" across a report, and a stamp for something that must be seen no matter what's underneath, like "APPROVED" over a signed contract. Toggle the "Stamp (draw on top of content)" option to switch between the two.
Removing watermarks: what's actually possible
Removal only works on watermarks and stamps that exist as separate PDF objects — the kind added by tools like this one, and most watermarking software that follows the PDF spec properly. If a watermark was flattened into the page content or baked directly into a scanned image, there's no clean way to strip it back out without also destroying the underlying content. We'd rather tell you that up front than pretend our remove button is magic.
Want the details? Read how to add a watermark to a PDF and why so many "free" PDF editors add their own watermark.
Frequently asked questions
What’s the difference between a watermark and a stamp?
A watermark is drawn behind the page content; a stamp is drawn on top. Use stamps for "APPROVED"-style marks that must stay visible over images.
Can I remove any watermark?
Only watermarks stored as separate objects in the PDF (the kind added by tools like this one). If a watermark was flattened into the page or baked into an image, it can’t be cleanly removed.
Is my PDF uploaded?
No. Watermarking runs in a WebAssembly engine inside your browser.
Does this add its own watermark?
Never. Ironically, we’re the watermark tool that doesn’t watermark your file.