PDF Page Background

Runs in browser PDF Editing & Annotation

Paint a colour or place a picture (fill the page, fit inside it or stretch to it) under every page or under the pages you select, with adjustable opacity. Text and drawings stay on top and remain selectable.

Privacy: Processed locally in your browser. Your file is not uploaded.

How are watermarks, page numbers and page sizes changed in a PDF?

A watermark, header, footer or page number is content drawn onto each page — text or an image appended to the page's content stream, or added as a stamp annotation — so it becomes part of the page like the original text, printed and copied with it. Page size and margins are separate: ISO 32000 defines them through the MediaBox and CropBox rectangles, so resizing a page or adding a margin changes those boxes and scales or offsets the existing content rather than redrawing it.

Read the guide: How to Edit a PDF Without Uploading It

The background is painted before the page’s own content, so text stays on top, but a solid white rectangle the page paints first covers it.

At the layer “The page’s text and images”: Drawn last, on topAt the layer “Background (colour or image)”: Drawn first, underneath

  1. 1The page’s text and imagesUnchanged: the text stays selectable, and text and images stay visible on top.
  2. 2A solid white rectangleSome pages onlyPart of the page’s own content, painted first: everything under it is covered, including the background.
  3. 3Background (colour or image)This toolA new content stream inserted before the page’s existing ones, at the chosen opacity.

How to use PDF Page Background

  1. Drop a PDF.
  2. Choose a colour or an image.
  3. Set opacity and pages.
  4. Click "Apply background" and download.

PDF Page Background features

  • Solid colour or image (fill the page, fit inside, stretch)
  • Opacity control
  • Drawn behind the content — text stays selectable
  • Page selection
  • Any image format the browser can decode
  • Local processing

PDF Page Background example

Cream paper look

Input:

Colour #fff8e1, opacity 100%, all pages

Output:

letter-background.pdf — a warm background under the existing text

Frequently asked questions about PDF Page Background

Will the background cover my text?

No. It is drawn before the page’s own content, so text and images stay visible on top. Pages that already paint a solid white rectangle will hide the background behind it.

Can I use a photo as the background?

Yes — pick an image, choose "Fill the page (crop)" (covers the page, the overflow is cropped), "Fit inside the page" (whole image, centred) or "Stretch to the page", and set the opacity.

Does it work for dark mode reading?

A dark background is painted behind black text, so the text will not be readable; use it for coloured paper effects or with light-coloured content.

Is my PDF uploaded to a server?

No. The file is opened and processed by your browser with WebAssembly and JavaScript; nothing is sent to Mutqan Soft or anyone else. Close the tab and the file is gone. Downloading the result needs a free account — no subscription, no payment.

Can I use it on a password-protected PDF?

Yes, if you know the password: the file list asks for it once and every operation then works on the decrypted pages. The output is saved without a password unless you protect it again.

Technical notes

The background is a new content stream inserted before the page’s existing streams, with a graphics state for opacity. Pages that paint an opaque white rectangle first will cover it — that is a property of the source file.

References