As the name suggests, Portable Document Format (PDF) is a program file used to create & share documents. With such a high rate of piracy, sharing documents without a watermark is sure a stupid mistake.
I’ll be sharing easy-to-follow methods to add watermark to PDF on Mac free & easy methods. Let’s get started!
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Add Watermark to PDF Mac Free | 7 Easy Methods!
Before I share the methods, here are a few reasons why you need to add a watermark to your documents:
- Protects your document from getting reused or altered
- Brand awareness
Most people add watermarks to PDFs to keep their work safe from online copycats.
Here are some easy methods to add watermark to PDF on Mac for Free:
Google Docs — The Easiest Of All Methods Online
I write most content in Google Docs, and later, I save it as a PDF. Docs offer a dedicated option to add watermarks to the content —- here’s how you can do it on your Mac:
- On your Mac, open docs.google.com
- Create document
- Navigate to the tools, hit insert & select Watermark
- Add image/text & customize accordingly
- Hit file > download > PDF
You won’t be able to open existing PDFs in Google Docs, and therefore, you’ll have to convert them by following this:
- Open drive.google.com
- Upload the PDF file you want to add the watermark to
- Click open with & select Google Docs
This process will convert your PDF to a docs file, add the watermark following the process I shared above, and later save it as a PDF.
Easy-peasy, right? Let’s move on to the next method.
Adobe Acrobat – Jack Of All PDF Operations
PDF was developed by Adobe, and to create, view, print & manage, Adobe developed Acrobat. With so many features, it enables the user to add a watermark & logo to the document.
Unfortunately, Acrobat’s UI isn’t as simple as Google Docs —- here’s the process to add watermark to PDF Mac using Adobe Acrobat:
- Download & Install Adobe Acrobat on your Mac
- Open the PDF document (in which you want to add a watermark)
- Hover over the tools > edit > watermark
- Click on “Add”
- Similar to docs, customize the text or image accordingly
- Click “OK”
Not interested in downloading it? Add a watermark to your PDF quickly using the Adobe online PDF editor —- here.
That’s how you add watermark to PDF Mac via Adobe Acrobat.
Preview by Mac – The Traditional Method
Preview isn’t new to Mac users as it is an in-built program that is used to view & edit images as well as PDFs. Apple once claimed that Preview is the fasted PDF viewer on the Planet.
Preview doesn’t offer a dedicated watermark feature, but there are edit options that can be used to add a watermark to a PDF —- here’s how:
- On your Mac, open the PDF you want to add a watermark to
- Navigate to the markup tools ✏️
- Select the text —- click the Aa icon to customize the font style.
Once done, add it to all the other pages & save it as a PDF.
Smallpdf – Add Watermark to PDF Mac Online
I’m not a fan of third-party online tools, but some tools are exceptions, and Smallpdf is one of them.
With tons of PDF editing features, Smallpdf offers both text & image watermark options. Besides, the UI provides easy navigation for even a new user.
Follow the steps below to insert a watermark into a PDF online:
- Visit smallpdf.com/edit-pdf
- Click choose files or simply drag & drop from your Mac
- From the tools section, select text (T) OR image icon to insert as a watermark
- Click anywhere on the canvas & type your watermark text
Like other PDF editors, Smallpdf allows you to customize the watermark text style.
PDF Expert
PDF Expert is a one-stop PDF editor for all Apple ecosystems as it is available for Mac, iPhone & iPad. Unfortunately, this isn’t a free tool, but it offers a one-week free trial that is enough if you don’t deal with PDFs regularly.
Along with adding watermarks, PDF Expert offers:
- Text Editing
- Creative Annotations
- Splitting & Merging PDFs
- Conversion to tons of other formats
- Other Basic PDF Editing features
Here’s how to add a watermark to your PDF using Mac’s PDF Expert:
- Download & open PDF Expert on your computer
- Open the file you want to add the watermark to
- Click Edit
- Navigate to tools & click on the text
- On the canvas, tap where you want to add the watermark.
Write & customize the watermark text accordingly.
LibreOffice
Popularly known as Microsoft Office Alternative, LibreOffice is a free, open-source software for all popular operating systems, including macOS, Windows & Linux. LibreOffice offers a sub-program called Draw that can be used to edit PDFs on Mac.
Is it easy to add watermarks to documents on Mac using LibreOffice? Figure it out by the below-mentioned steps:
- Open LibreOffice Draw on your Mac
- Select File>Open>Document (you want to edit)
- Tap anywhere you want to insert the watermark
- Type & Customize the watermark text
Apart from adding watermarks, there are tons of awesome PDF editing that you can do with LibreOffice Draw.
EasePDF – Online PDF Editor for Mac
Based on the idea of quick editing, EasePDF offers all essential PDF editing features and is compatible with all browsers. Tested with chrome & safari, and it was pretty smooth.
Here’s how to add a watermark text to a PDF using EasePDF:
- Visit EasePDF
- Click on tools & select add watermark
- On the next page, upload the document
- Tap & insert watermark text accordingly
Save & download the edited PDF, and you are done! Smooth, isn’t it?
Frequently Asked Questions
While doing the research on the subject, I found some unanswered questions related to adding a watermark to a PDF —- let’s answer them all.
Can you add watermark to PDF in Preview on Mac?
Yes, one can add a watermark to PDF in Preview and it is one of the easiest ways to add a watermark to PDF on Mac.
Navigate to the third method for a precise step-by-step guide to adding a watermark to PDF using Preview.
Are online PDF editing tools safe for adding watermarks & editing PDFs?
Most tools claim that they don’t store the uploaded document for editing but the internet is a strange place and one should not trust anyone’s claim.
If it is a confidential document, avoid online tools and use trusted PDF editing tools like Adobe Acrobat or Mac Preview.
Closure | Adding Watermark to PDF On Mac
PDF editing is a constant requirement, and I have tried my best to get the most secure free tools to add watermark to PDF Mac. There are people paying $$$ a year for basic PDF editing, and sharing this blog post will only help them save money.
If you think that I missed anything or any valuable insight within the post, comment down below, and I’ll surely consider adding it to the post.