# How to add a watermark to a PDF

> Add a text or logo watermark to a PDF for free: choose wording, size, angle and transparency, apply it to some or all pages, and make it hard to remove.


A watermark marks a document as confidential, a draft, a sample or yours. Here's how to add one and make it look professional.



## Steps


- Open Add watermark and select your PDF.

- Type your text — CONFIDENTIAL, DRAFT, your name or company — or switch to Image / logo and choose your logo.

- Pick Centre for one large stamp or Tiled for a repeating pattern, and choose diagonal or straight.

- Set transparency around 25–35% so the content stays readable.

- Click Add watermark and download.



## Making it hard to remove
A normal watermark is a separate object on the page, and some PDF editors can delete it. Tick Make it hard to remove (flatten) before saving: each page is turned into an image with the watermark baked in. The trade-off is that text in the document can no longer be selected.



## Good watermark choices


- CONFIDENTIAL in red, diagonal — see Confidential watermark.

- DRAFT in grey, so an unfinished version isn't mistaken for the final one.

- Your logo, light and centred, for quotations and portfolios — see Add logo to PDF.

- Tiled name or email on documents you share with one person, so leaks can be traced.



## Want stronger protection?
Add a password with Protect PDF so only people you trust can open the file.