How to stamp DRAFT or CONFIDENTIAL across a PDF
Quick answer
Upload your PDF, type the watermark text, set its size, angle and opacity, choose which pages, then download.
- 1Upload your PDF.
- 2Type the watermark text.
- 3Set how it looks.
- 4Choose the pages and apply.
Free, no sign-up, and your file is read on your own device rather than uploaded.
A watermark is text stamped across a page - DRAFT, CONFIDENTIAL, a company name, or a case reference - so that anyone looking at the document sees it immediately, without it being mistaken for part of the original content.
It is worth being clear about what this does and does not do: it is a visible mark, not protection. Anyone with a PDF editor can remove it. Use it to communicate status clearly, not to secure a document against misuse.
Step by step
Type the text
DRAFT, CONFIDENTIAL, a company name - whatever the document needs to show.
Watermark PDFSet how it looks
Size, angle and opacity, so it is visible but does not obscure the content underneath.
Watermark PDF
Tips
- A diagonal watermark at low opacity (around 15-25%) is legible without making the underlying text hard to read - a good starting point before adjusting further.
- For an internal draft, a bold, high-opacity watermark makes the status impossible to miss at a glance.
- If the document also needs page numbers or a signature, do those in the same visit - each tool picks up the file exactly as you left it.
Common problems
You need the watermark to actually protect the document, not just label it.
A watermark is a visible mark and can be removed by anyone with a PDF editor. There's no password-protection tool here, so a watermark should be treated as clear labelling, not security.
The watermark is too dark and makes the page hard to read.
Lower the opacity - a lighter, semi-transparent watermark stays legible as a label without competing with the content underneath.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I choose the position and angle of the watermark?
- Yes - set the size, angle and opacity to whatever suits the document, from a subtle diagonal stamp to a bold, straight one.
- Can I watermark only some pages, not all of them?
- Yes - choose which pages get the watermark before applying it.
- Does a watermark protect my document from being copied or edited?
- No - it is a visible mark only, and can be removed by anyone with a PDF editor. It communicates status; it does not restrict access.
- Can I remove a watermark I added later?
- Not with this tool once downloaded - decide on the wording and appearance before you download the final file, or keep the original unwatermarked copy.
- Is my file uploaded anywhere?
- No. Watermarking happens entirely on your device.
Doing several things to this PDF?
"Editing a PDF" is usually one of five different jobs. Open the file once and you can do all of them in sequence - reorder the pages, mark it, number it, sign it and shrink it - then download once at the end.
How to edit a PDF without AcrobatRelated PDF tools
- Sign PDFDraw or type a signature and place it on a page.
- Add Page NumbersNumber the pages, starting wherever you need.
- PDF Metadata EditorRead and change the title, author and other document properties.
Related articles
- Edit & Sign
Sign a PDF without printing it
Open your PDF in the signer, draw or type your signature, click where it goes on the page, and download the signed file.
- Edit & Sign
How to number the pages of a PDF
Upload your PDF, pick a number format and position, set where numbering starts, then download.
- Edit & Sign
Wrong title in a PDF's browser tab? Fix its metadata
Open your PDF in the metadata editor, change the title, author or other properties you need, or clear them entirely, then save.