How-to Guides Data & Encoding

How to Watermark, Rotate and Clean a PDF

Prepare a PDF for sharing: fix sideways pages, stamp a watermark and page numbers, remove author and software metadata, and check the result still reads correctly.

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Steps

  1. Keep the original

    Work on a copy. Every tool here runs in your browser and produces a new file, but you should keep the source in case you need it.

  2. Rotate the sideways pages

    Open the file in the Rotate PDF, choose all pages or a page range, rotate by 90, 180 or 270 degrees and download the result.

  3. Add the watermark and page numbers

    Use the PDF Page Number Adder: set the numbering style and position, and type watermark text to print across every page, such as DRAFT or CONFIDENTIAL.

  4. Remove or edit the metadata

    Open the result in the PDF Metadata Editor. Clear the author, creator and producer fields, or set a clean title, so the file does not carry names or software versions you did not intend to share.

  5. Check the text still extracts

    Run the file through the PDF to Text Converter to confirm text is still selectable and in order, which matters for search and screen readers.

  6. Review before sending

    Open the final file, look at every page, and compare the size with the original. For sensitive documents, also run the checks in How to Check a PDF for Hidden Changes.

What you need

The PDF, and a browser; nothing is uploaded to a server.

What each tool changes

Tool Changes Leaves alone
PDF rotator Page rotation Text, images, metadata
Page number adder with watermark Adds numbers and watermark text to the pages Existing content
Metadata editor Document information fields Page content
PDF to text Nothing (it only reads) The file

Things to know

  • Rotating changes the page's rotation setting, not the pixels, so it is lossless.
  • A watermark is drawn on top of the page; it can usually be removed by someone with a PDF editor, so it is a label, not protection.
  • Fonts and images are not changed by any of these steps, so file size should stay similar.
  • Keep the original if the document is a legal or signed one: editing invalidates signatures.

Try these tools

Rotate PDF

Rotate a PDF 90 degrees clockwise, 180 degrees or 90 degrees anticlockwise.

PDF Page Number Adder

Choose the position, style such as Page 3 of 10, start number, size and colour, skip the first page.

PDF Metadata Editor

View and edit the metadata of a PDF: title, author, subject, keywords, creator, producer and dates.

PDF to Text Converter

Extract the text from a PDF and copy it or download it as a .txt file.

See also

  • Guide How PDF Files Work
    The structure of a PDF (header, objects, cross-reference table, trailer), a complete minimal file whose offsets were checked with pdfinfo.
  • How-to How to Check a PDF for Hidden Changes
    Find out whether a PDF was edited after it was created or signed: incremental saves, changed text between revisions.
  • How-to How to Merge, Split and Reorder a PDF
    Combine several PDFs into one, pull out the pages you need, reorder or rotate them, and add page numbers.
  • Glossary Watermark
    A watermark is text or a logo laid over an image or document to show ownership or discourage reuse.
  • Glossary Metadata
    Metadata is data about data: the hidden or secondary information a file carries about itself, such as its author, creation date.
  • Glossary PDF (Portable Document Format)
    PDF is a file format for documents that look the same on every device, bundling text, fonts, images and layout into one file.

Frequently Asked Questions

No. A watermark is a visible mark that discourages casual reuse, but anyone can still copy the content. Use it to label a document, not to secure it.

No. Metadata fields (author, producer, dates) are separate from page content. Edits saved as incremental updates can also leave older versions in the file; see the hidden-changes check.

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