Remove watermark from PDF

Most PDF watermarks added by Word, Acrobat or a PDF tool are stored as separate objects: a watermark annotation, a watermark layer, or tagged watermark text. CleanMarks finds and deletes those objects. Your file is processed in your browser.

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How to remove a watermark from a PDF

  1. 1Open the PDF.
  2. 2Review what was found: watermark annotations, layers and tagged artifacts. Optionally type the watermark’s exact text.
  3. 3Press Remove and download the cleaned PDF.

What this can and can’t remove

  • Watermark annotations (Acrobat “Add Watermark”, many online tools): removed.
  • Watermark artifacts (Word and Acrobat tag them as /Artifact /Watermark): removed.
  • Optional-content layers named “Watermark”: removed.
  • Plain text that matches the phrase you type (e.g. CONFIDENTIAL or DRAFT): removed when the PDF stores the text in a readable encoding.
  • Scanned PDFs: the watermark is part of the page image. Export the page as an image and use the photo watermark remover.
  • Password-protected PDFs can’t be edited until you remove the password.

Why deleting beats covering

Many “PDF watermark removers” draw a white box over the mark. The watermark text is still in the file, and it can still be copied, searched and printed in some viewers. Deleting the object removes it properly.

Your own documents

Use this on drafts and documents you own, such as a “DRAFT” stamp left on a final version. Don’t use it to strip ownership marks from documents you received under licence.

Questions

Is the PDF uploaded?

No. The PDF is parsed and rewritten in your browser with the open-source pdf-lib library.

Why wasn’t my watermark found?

It may be drawn as ordinary page content with no watermark tag, use a font encoding that hides the text, or be part of a scanned image. Try typing the exact watermark text. If it is a scan, use the image tool.

Does it change anything else in the PDF?

Only the watermark objects are removed. The file is re-saved, so its size can change slightly.