How to add a watermark to files in your Dropbox account

Updated Aug 28, 2024

This article describes a feature available to customers on Dropbox Professional, Essentials, Standard, Advanced, Business, Business Plus, and Enterprise.

Watermarking is a way to safeguard your images or PDFs from being downloaded and used without your permission.

Note: You can only add watermarks to these types of files: JPEG, PNG, BMP, and PDF.

How to add a watermark

You must be the file owner to add a watermark. To add a watermark to an image or PDF file in your Dropbox account:

Log in to dropbox.com.
Click the name of the file to open its preview.
Click Watermark. Or, click the Edit button in the top left and select Watermark in the dropdown.
- If you’re previewing the file in quick view, click “…” (ellipsis). Then, click Watermark.
Customize your watermark if desired.
Click Save.
- Select Make a copy or Replace original.
  - Make a copy will create a watermarked copy of the file with (Watermarked) appended to the filename.
  - Replace original will modify the original file.

Note: The file owner can only remove the watermark if they select Replace original.

How to customize a watermark

You can edit the positioning, rotation, transparency, and size of a watermark. To do so:

Log in to dropbox.com.
Click the name of the file to open its preview.
Click Watermark in the menu bar or click the Edit button and select Watermark in the dropdown.
- If you’re previewing the file in quick view, click “…” (ellipsis). Then, click Watermark.
Click Text or Image to choose the style of watermark.
Edit one or more of the watermark settings below.
- Select an option from the Position dropdown menu to change the position of the watermark on the file.
- Select an option from the Color dropdown menu to choose a Dark or Light shade for the watermark on the file.
- Click the Rotation icons (arrow in a circle) to change the rotation of the watermark in 15 degree increments.
- Edit the Opacity and Size sliders to change the transparency and size of the watermark on the file.

Note: Watermark images must be 6 MB or smaller.

How to remove a watermark

If you chose Replace original when you added your watermark, you can remove the watermark from your file. To do so:

Log in to dropbox.com.
Click the name of the file to open its preview.
Click the File tab.
- Make sure you have your previews set to Full screen.
Click Version history.
Select the version without the watermark to preview it, then click the X in the upper left to close the preview.
Hover over the version without the watermark and click Restore.
Click the Restore button in the notification that appears.

Note: Only the file owner can remove a watermark. A recipient of a watermarked file won’t be able to remove the watermark.

How to add a watermark to all files in a folder

To add a watermark to all the documents in a folder:

Log in to dropbox.com.
Click the folder where you’d like to add a watermark.
Click “…” (ellipsis).
Click Add automation.
Select Watermark files.
Check the box to Include files in all subfolders.
Click Text or Image to choose the style of watermark.
Adjust the watermark settings as needed. You can see a preview of your files with watermarks in the panel on the right.
- Select an option from the Position dropdown to change the position of the watermark on the file.
- Select an option from the Color dropdown to choose a Dark or Light shade for the watermark on the file.
- Click the Rotation icons (arrow in a circle) to change the rotation of the watermark in 15 degree increments.
- Drag the Opacity and Size sliders to change the transparency and size of the watermark on the file.
Click Save.