← All guides

How to add a watermark like DRAFT or CONFIDENTIAL to a PDF on a Mac

Stamp DRAFT, CONFIDENTIAL or a name across every page of a PDF on a Mac for free with an action built into macOS, and the two settings to change first.

The problem

You need DRAFT or CONFIDENTIAL across every page before you send a PDF, and Preview has no watermark button. The paid apps want a subscription for one word on a page.

How do I add a watermark to a PDF on a Mac for free?

Use the Watermark PDF Documents action that comes with macOS, in Automator. Build it once as a Quick Action and it stamps any PDF you Control click in Finder.

  1. Make a picture of your watermark text: type it large and grey in Pages or Keynote and export it as a PNG with a clear background.
  2. Open Automator and choose Quick Action, receiving PDF files in Finder.
  3. Add Copy Finder Items, so the original is kept.
  4. Add Watermark PDF Documents, click Add to choose your picture, and set its size, position, opacity and angle.
  5. Save it with a name like Watermark DRAFT. Control click a PDF in Finder and run it from Quick Actions.

Which settings should I change?

Opacity and angle, before anything else. Out of the box the action uses full opacity and no angle, so the watermark is a solid picture that covers whatever text sits under it. Lower the opacity until the page reads clearly through it, tilt it to run corner to corner, and choose to place it behind the page content if you want the text to stay crisp on top.

Read on 16 October 2026 on a MacBook Air (M1), macOS 27.0.1, from the action's own settings: it accepts PDFs, and starts at opacity 1, angle 0 and scale 1, with options for position and for drawing over or under the page.

Can Preview add a watermark?

No. Preview can put a text box on one page, but not the same mark on every page. For what Preview does do for free, see free PDF editor for Mac.

How do I watermark many PDFs at once?

Select them all in Finder, Control click, and run the same Quick Action. Every file gets the mark, and Copy Finder Items keeps the originals untouched.

What should a watermark say?

  • DRAFT, for documents still changing.
  • CONFIDENTIAL, for private documents.
  • The recipient's name and the date, for documents that might be passed on.

Does a watermark stop someone copying a PDF?

No. A watermark tells people what a document is and who it was for, and it shows on screen and in print, but the text underneath can still be copied. To stop someone opening the file at all, add a password: password protect a PDF on a Mac.

Our take

A watermark is a label, not a lock. Its job is to make a draft impossible to mistake for the final version, and a solid stamp over the words fails that job by hiding them. Keep it faint enough to read through and strong enough to notice.

The one click way

Simply PDF's Watermark tool: type the word, choose across the page, top or bottom, set its strength and size, and see it on the page before saving. No picture to make first. Watermarks need a key; opening and reading are free.

Questions

Can Preview add a watermark?

No. Use the Watermark PDF Documents action in Automator, which comes with macOS.

How do I watermark many PDFs at once?

Make the Automator action a Quick Action, select the PDFs in Finder and run it on all of them.

Why does my watermark hide the text?

The action starts at full opacity. Lower the opacity, or place the watermark behind the page content.

More guides