How to add an image to a PDF

Adding a picture to a PDF is usually a small job (a company logo on a letter, a photo on a form, a stamp on an invoice) made awkward because PDF readers let you look at a document, not put things on it. An editor that writes the image into the page is all it takes.

Open PDF EditorEdit text, images and signatures in place

Step by step

  1. Open the PDF in the editor

    Drop your document onto the PDF Editor and go to the page where the image belongs.

  2. Choose Image and pick the file

    Click Image in the toolbar and choose a PNG or JPG from your device. It is placed on the page you are viewing, at a moderate size, ready to move.

  3. Position and size it

    Drag the image to move it and drag a corner handle to resize it; the proportions stay locked, so a logo never squashes. Bring forward and Send backward change what sits on top when it overlaps other things you have added.

  4. Save and download

    Save Changes writes the image into the PDF and shows a preview; Download PDF saves the file. The picture is embedded at its original resolution, not re-compressed.

Getting rid of the white box behind a logo

An image is laid on a white background unless you tell it otherwise, so a logo or scanned signature on white paper shows as a white rectangle over anything beneath it. Select the image and use Remove white background. It is instant and made for scans, logos and signatures. For a photo, Remove background automatically cuts out the subject instead; the first use downloads a model, so it takes a moment.

The same image on several pages

There is no every-page option for an image. Select it, copy it with Ctrl+C, go to the next page and paste with Ctrl+V, then drag it into place. If what you actually want is a logo faint in the background of every page, Watermark is built for that.

Common questions

Which image formats can I add?

PNG and JPG. A WebP or other format needs saving as one of those first.

Can I make an image semi-transparent?

Yes, in steps. Select it and press 50% to halve its opacity; press again to halve it once more.

Will the image lose quality?

No. The file you chose is embedded as it is. Only an image you have removed the background from, or faded, is re-saved as PNG at its own pixel size.

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