Add a Background to a PDF
Place a solid color or image behind your PDF's existing content, without disturbing anything already on the page. Choose a fit mode for images — cover, contain, stretch, or a repeating tile — and pick which pages get it.
Choose your PDF
Drag and drop a PDF file here
or
Choose fileAccepted: a PDF file
Preview
A solid dark navy background at 100% opacity will be drawn behind your existing page content.
Add a valid PDF above to turn this on.
Before processing
- File must be a valid PDF
- Background image must be a valid, decodable PNG or JPEG (WEBP is rejected with a clear message)
- Opacity must be between 10% and 100%
- Tile width and height, if used, must be greater than zero
- The resolved page range must include at least one page
How to use Add Background to PDF
- 1Upload your PDF
- 2Choose a solid color or an image
- 3Pick a fit mode (for images) and opacity
- 4Choose which pages receive it
- 5Download your PDF
Real use cases
Adding a light brand-color background behind an otherwise plain document
Placing a subtle repeating pattern or logo tile behind every page
Adding a full-bleed background image behind a certificate or flyer-style PDF
Applying a background to only the odd pages of a double-sided printed booklet
Benefits
Genuinely placed behind existing content — original text stays selectable, original vectors untouched
Solid color or image, with cover/contain/stretch/tile fit modes
Images are embedded once and reused across every page, keeping file size down
Live preview of type, opacity, and fit mode before you convert
Nothing about your document is uploaded
How browser-based processing works here
Your PDF opens locally in your browser, and the background is inserted directly into each page's content using your device's own processing — ahead of the page's existing content, never on top of it. The resulting file is generated on your device — no file content is sent anywhere.
- No file upload endpoint exists on this page
- No database or server-side file storage
- Output is generated locally as a browser Blob file
Supported files: Standard, non-encrypted PDF files, with an optional PNG or JPEG background image. Encrypted or password-protected PDFs aren't currently supported.
Honest limitations
- PNG and JPEG backgrounds only — WEBP and other image formats aren't supported yet.
- The background is placed behind the page's existing content stream — it doesn't create new blank space, so it won't show through content that already fully covers the page.
- Page size and rotation are always preserved — a background never changes a page's dimensions.
- Existing text remains selectable and existing vector content is left completely untouched.
No artificial daily task limits. Processing capacity depends on your device, browser, file size, and page count.
Troubleshooting
My background image was rejected
Add Background to PDF accepts PNG and JPEG images only. If your image is a WEBP or another format, convert it to PNG or JPEG first.
I can't see my background behind existing content
The background sits behind the page's own content — if the page already has a full-page background or fill of its own, your new background may not be visible through it.
My tiled background doesn't line up the way I expected
Adjust the tile width/height and the horizontal/vertical gap and offset controls until the repeating pattern lines up the way you want.
Related tools
Frequently asked questions
How is this different from Add Image to PDF or Watermark?
Add Image places an image at one spot on top of the page. Watermark overlays a repeated mark on top of the content. Add Background does the opposite of both — it's placed behind the existing page content, so your original text and images stay fully visible and selectable on top of it.
Will my existing text still be selectable?
Yes — the background never touches or replaces the page's existing content, it's inserted before it in the page's content stream.
Can I tile a small image across the whole page?
Yes, choose "Tile" as the fit mode and set the tile size, gap, and offset.
Does the background change my page size?
No — page dimensions and rotation are always preserved exactly.