Remove a watermark from a PDF

To remove a watermark from a PDF page here, turn the page into an image, paint over the mark, and put the pages back into a PDF. It works page by page and is free.

Last updated: 26 October 2026

Paint over it and the AI fills in what was behind it.

Your image goes to our own computers, gets repainted and is deleted straight after. Nothing is stored, nothing is watermarked back on.

How to remove a watermark from a PDF, step by step

WatermarkNinja cleans images, so a PDF needs a short detour. The two outer steps are done with ScanReviver, our PDF site, and are free too.

Turn the page into an image: ScanReviver's PDF to PNG (or PDF to JPG) exports the pages. A screenshot of the page also works.
Upload the page image above (JPG, PNG, WEBP or HEIC, up to 40 MB), paint over the watermark with a small margin and press remove.
Download the cleaned image and repeat for every page that carries the mark.
Rebuild the PDF: PNG to PDF or JPG to PDF combines the cleaned pages into one file.

Clean a page image →

What this does and does not do

Works well on a diagonal or corner mark over plain areas, a logo on a scanned page, or a stamp over white space.
Harder when the mark crosses small print or a detailed picture. The AI has to invent what it cannot see, so check the result at full size.
Pages become pictures. The text in the rebuilt PDF can no longer be selected or searched.
One page at a time. It is a fit for a few pages, not for a 200-page report.

If the watermark is a layer added by a PDF editor, that same editor can often remove it for you, which keeps the text intact. This page is for when you have no such option and only the pages themselves.

Putting a watermark on instead

Going the other way? ScanReviver's add watermark to PDF places a diagonal text mark across every page.

One thing to check first: whose document is it

Removing the watermark graphic does not give you any right to what is underneath. This page is meant for your own documents: a draft you stamped yourself, or a scan with a logo you added. A licensed or paywalled document is not something to clean up; get access or a licence from whoever owns it.

Sources

Chapter 12 - Circular 92: US law restricts removing copyright management information

Questions

How do I remove a watermark from a PDF?

Our tool works on images, not on PDF files. Export the page you want as a PNG with ScanReviver's PDF to PNG, paint over the watermark here, then rebuild the PDF from the cleaned pages with ScanReviver's PNG to PDF or JPG to PDF. If the watermark is a separate layer added by an editor, the editor that added it may be able to remove it directly.

Can I upload a PDF straight to WatermarkNinja?

No. It accepts JPG, PNG, WEBP and HEIC up to 40 MB, one image at a time. A PDF has to be turned into page images first.

Does the PDF stay searchable after this?

No. The pages come back as pictures, so the text can no longer be selected or searched. If you need that back, run the rebuilt PDF through a text recognition (OCR) step afterwards.

Is it fine to remove a watermark from a PDF I did not make?

Only if you own the document or have the rights to it. Removing a mark does not give you any right to what is underneath, so this is for your own files, not for a licensed or paywalled document.

Does it work on a many-page PDF?

One page at a time. For a long document that is slow, so it suits a handful of pages. A mark that sits on every page of a long file is better handled in the program that created it.

Is it free?

Yes. No account and no watermark added back. Your image goes to our own computers, is repainted and is deleted straight after.