# Add a Watermark to a PDF

Mark a document as a draft, confidential, a copy or yours before you share it. Text or a logo, faint or bold, across the middle or repeated over the page.

_Source: https://sharelargefilesfree.com/tools/watermark-pdf · Updated 2026-09-29_

## How to use it

1. Choose or drop the PDF (or several).
2. Type the watermark text or choose a logo image.
3. Set opacity, angle, placement and which pages.
4. Press Add watermark, then download or send the result.

## Common watermarks

- **DRAFT** across the middle at 20-30% opacity, so nobody mistakes an early version for the final one.
- **CONFIDENTIAL** or **COPY** repeated across the page, which is hard to crop out of a screenshot.
- **A recipient's name** (“Prepared for Acme Ltd”) to trace where a document went.
- **Your logo** at the top or bottom of every page of a proposal or portfolio.

## How it is added

Latin-script text is written into the PDF as real text in a standard font, so it stays sharp when printed and zoomed and adds hardly anything to the file size. Text in other scripts (Cyrillic, Greek, Arabic, Chinese, emoji) is drawn as a transparent, high-resolution image so it always displays. A logo keeps its transparency. The watermark is placed over the page content, with your chosen opacity, and follows each page's orientation.

## What a watermark can and cannot do

A watermark is a clear visual label; it discourages copying and shows a document's status. It is not encryption: someone with PDF editing software can remove it. For images, see [Watermark images](https://sharelargefilesfree.com/tools/watermark-image); to add page numbers in the same way, use [Add page numbers](https://sharelargefilesfree.com/tools/add-page-numbers). Your PDF is processed in your browser and never uploaded.

## Frequently asked questions

### How do I add a watermark to a PDF for free?

Add the PDF, type the watermark text or choose a logo, set the opacity and press Add watermark. No account or payment.

### Can I watermark only some pages?

Yes. Choose “Choose pages” and enter ranges such as 1, 3-5.

### Can I use a logo instead of text?

Yes, a PNG, JPG or WebP. Its width is set as a share of the page width.

### Will the text in my PDF still be selectable?

Yes. The original content is not changed; the watermark is added on top.

### Is my PDF uploaded?

No. The watermark is added on your device.