Add backgrounds to PDFs

Last updated on Aug 16, 2025

Learn how to add, customize, and apply backgrounds to your PDFs for a polished, professional look.

Use backgrounds to brand your documents or highlight key content, making your PDFs more visually appealing and impactful. You can add backgrounds to individual PDFs or apply them to multiple files using simple tools in Acrobat on desktop.

Note

Only PDF, JPEG, and BMP files can be used as background images.

Open the PDF and select Edit.

Select Background > Add from the left pane.

To apply the background to specific pages, select Page Range Options, then set the page range and subset as needed.

Set the background options:

  • Source: Choose a color or image file for the background.
  • Appearance: Adjust opacity and scaling.
  • Position: Set the vertical and horizontal position.
Add Background dialog open with options to set source, appearance, and position, and the OK button highlighted for confirmation.
Apply the Source, Appearance, and Position changes to the background. To reuse saved settings from a previous session, select them from the 

To apply the background to multiple PDFs, select Apply to Multiple Files, add the files, and confirm your output settings.