How to use watermarks in a microsoft word document

Lori Kaufman is a technology expert with 25 years of experience. She’s been a senior technical writer, worked as a programmer, and has even run her own multi-location business. Read more.

A watermark is a faded, background image that displays behind the text in a document. It can be used to indicate a document’s status (confidential, draft, etc.) or to add a company logo. We’ll show you how to add watermarks to documents in Word 2013.

To insert a watermark, open the document to which you want to add a watermark and click the Design tab on the Ribbon.

In the Page Background section of the Design tab, click the Watermark button. Different built-in watermarks display. Click the desired watermark sample.

The watermark is placed behind the text in your document.

If you decide you don’t want the watermark anymore, or the status of your document has changed, you can remove the watermark easily. Simply click Watermark in the Page Background section of the Design tab and select Remove Watermark.

You can also create custom watermarks from text or images. To do this, click Watermark and select Custom Watermark.

The Printed Watermark dialog box displays. You can add a custom Picture or Text watermark. To add a Text watermark, select Text watermark. Select the Language, Font, Size, and Color (including whether you want the text to be Semitransparent. Enter the text for the watermark in the Text edit box. Specify whether you want the Layout for the text to be Diagonal or Horizontal. Click OK.

Your custom text watermark is inserted behind the text.

If you want to use a picture as a watermark, click Watermark on the Design tab and select Custom Watermark again. On the Printed Watermark dialog box, select Picture watermark and then click Select Picture.

You can insert a picture from a file on your computer, select clip art from Office.com, search for an image on Bing, or select an image from your SkyDrive storage. As an example, we searched for the Windows logo on Bing.

Select an image from the results and click Insert.

NOTE: Be sure you comply with the image use restrictions for the site containing the selected image.

To insert the image as a faded image behind the text, select the Washout check box. You can also specify the Scale for the image or have Word automatically scale the image by selecting Auto. Click OK to insert the image watermark.

The image is inserted behind the text in your document.

The Watermark feature is also available in Word 2007 and 2010, but is found on the Page Layout tab in these versions rather than the Design tab.

You can use Microsoft Word’s watermark feature to mark your document (confidential, draft, ’do not copy’, etc.) or add a transparent logo (such as that of your business or trademark).

Microsoft Word allows you to insert watermarks in a few simple steps. You can choose watermarks from the premade templates or create custom ones.

This article explains how to insert watermarks, how to make them yourself from scratch, and how to make pictures act like watermarks in a document.

Inserting Watermark in Word (Office 365 and Word 2019)

While this example is for Office 365 and Word 2019, adding a Watermark is similar in some earlier versions of Word. To add a watermark, you should:

1. Open Word.
2. Click on the ‘Design’ tab.
3. Click on ‘Watermark’ at the far-right. Depending on the version of the word, you will see a few templates that you can choose from.
4. Click on one.
   
5. The watermark should appear on the page.

Inserting Custom Watermark in Word

If you want a custom watermark, you can make it yourself. To do this, you should:

1. Repeat steps 1-3 from above.
2. Below the menu with the premade watermarks, you will see a ‘Custom Watermark’ option.
3. Click on ‘Custom Watermark’.
   
4. Select ‘Text Watermark’.
   
5. In the ‘Text’ line, you can add a string of text that you want to appear on your document. You can also format the font, color, and size. Also, you can pick whether to display the watermark vertically or horizontally.
6. Click on ‘Apply’.
7. Click ‘OK’ and the window should close.
8. You should see your custom watermark on the document.

Inserting a Picture Watermark

You can display an image watermark on your document. With this option, you can easily add a nonintrusive company logo or a subtle background. To add a picture watermark, you should:

1. Go to the ‘Custom Watermark’ window by repeating steps 1-3 from the previous section.
2. Click on ‘Picture Watermark’.
   
3. Click on ‘Select Picture’.
   
   –В To add a picture from your drive, select the ‘Browse’ option next to the ‘From a file’ icon. Then navigate to the location of the image.
   –В To add a picture from the internet, you can use the Bing search engine. Use the search bar and press ‘Enter’ to choose.
   – To add a picture from OneDrive, select ‘Browse’. Sign in to your One Drive account as applicable and locate your image.
4. Wait for the picture to upload.
5. In the ‘Scale’ dropdown menu, you can choose the size of your image. If you choose ‘Auto’, the image will scale to its original size. If you want a smaller image to completely cover the page, you may have to scale up to 500%. Keep in mind that the picture quality may become grainy.
6. Ticking the ‘Washout’ option will make your watermark almost fully transparent. If you want your watermark to be more visible, you should leave it unchecked.
7. Click ‘Apply’. The watermark should appear.
8. Click ‘OK’.

Removing a Watermark

If you’d rather not use a watermark after all, you can easily remove it. Follow these steps to clear the watermark:

1. Open the ‘Design’ tab.
2. Click on the ‘Watermark’ menu.
3. Click on the ‘Remove watermark’ option. It’s below ‘Custom watermark’.
4. The watermarks should disappear from every page.

Inserting Watermark in Word for Mac OS

If you have Microsoft Word for Mac, inserting a watermark is almost the same. Here’s what you should do:

1. Open Word.
2. Click on the ‘Design’ tab.
3. Find ‘Watermark’.
4. The ‘Insert Watermark’ dialog will open, similar to the ‘Watermark’ window in Word for Windows.
   –В Click on ‘Text’ to add a custom watermark. Besides font, size, and color, you can also set the transparency scale of the watermark. (This option is not available in Word 365.)
   –В Choose from one of the templates to add a premade watermark.
   –В Select ‘Picture’ to insert an image as a watermark. You can use an image on your drive, search engine or iCloud.
5. Once you’ve chosen your option, the watermark should appear.
6. If the watermark doesn’t appear, click on the ‘View’ tab on top.
7. Select ‘Print Layout’.
8. You will see how the watermark looks like in the printout.

To remove a watermark, simply choose the ‘No watermark’ option in the same dialog.

Hayley Milliman is a former Teach for America teacher turned curriculum developer and writer. Over the past five years, she’s written hundreds of articles on everything from Microsoft Office to education to history. She’s co-author of the book Museum Hack’s Guide to History’s Fiercest Females. Read more.

A watermark is a faded background image that displays behind the text in a document. You can use them to indicate a document’s state (confidential, draft, etc.), add a subtle company logo, or even for a bit of artistic flair. Here’s how to add and manipulate watermarks to your Word document.

How to Insert a Built-In Watermark

With your document open, switch over to the “Design” tab.

In the Page Background group on that tab, click the “Watermark” button.

On the drop-down menu, click any of the built-in watermarks to insert it into your document.

Word places the watermark behind the text.

How to Insert a Custom Watermark

You can also create custom watermarks from text or images. To do this, select the “Custom Watermark” from the “Watermark” drop-down menu.

Using Custom Text Watermarks

In the Printed Watermark window that opens, select the “Text Watermark” option. Type the text you want to use into the “Text” box and then configure the options for language, font, size, color, and orientation the way you want them. Click “OK” when you’re done.

Word inserts your custom text watermark behind the text.

Using Custom Picture Watermarks

If you want to use a picture as a watermark, select the “Picture Watermark” option and then click the “Select Picture” button.

You can use a picture file on your computer, search for an image on Bing, or select an image from your OneDrive storage.

Select an image from the results and then click the “Insert” button. We’re using an image from our computer.

Back in the Printed Watermark window, you have a couple of options for how your picture appears. The “Scale” is set to automatic by default, but you can change the size of your image if you want. The “Washout” option inserts the image with pale colors the way most watermarks appear. You can disable that option to have the image presented in its full glory. Click “OK” when you’ve set it up the way you want.

Word inserts the image behind the text in your document.

How to Move or Resize a Watermark

To move a watermark after inserting it, you’ll need to open the Header/Footer area in your document. Do so by double-clicking anywhere in the header or footer area.

When you do that, the watermark becomes editable. This is true whether you’re using a text or picture watermark. You can drag the image around to move it, or you can grab and drag any of its handles to resize it—just like you would with any other image.

Since the same watermark appears on all pages, resizing or moving it on one page means those same changes are made everywhere else.

How to Remove a Watermark

There are two ways to remove a watermark. The first is by opening the Header/Footer area, so the image is accessible (the same way we talked about in the previous section), selecting the image, and hitting the Delete key.

You can also switch to the “Design” tab, click the “Watermark” button, and then select the “Remove Watermark” command. Either way works just fine.

And just like with moving or resizing a watermark, deleting one removes it from every page of your document.

In this course:

• Insert a table
  Article
• Insert pictures
  Article
• Insert icons
  Article
• Insert WordArt
  Article
• Insert a watermark
  Article
• Show the ruler
  Article
• Rotate a picture or shape
  Article
• Wrap text around a picture
  Article

On the Design tab, select Watermark.

Choose a pre-configured watermark, like DRAFT or CONFIDENTIAL.

On the Design tab, select Watermark.

In the Insert Watermark dialog, select Text and either type your own watermark text or select one, like DRAFT, from the list. Then, customize the watermark by setting the font, layout, size, colors, and orientation.

If you don’t see the watermark, click View > Print Layout. This also shows how the printed watermark will look.

On the Page Layout tab, select Watermark.

Choose a pre-configured watermark, like DRAFT or CONFIDENTIAL.

On the Layout tab, under Page Background, select Watermark.

Type or edit your text for the watermark, or select a text watermark from the drop down menu, and then select the text formatting that you want.

If the text watermark makes it difficult to read the text on the page, increase the transparency of the watermark text, or select a lighter color for the watermark text.

You can use the Size drop down menu to change the size of the watermark text.

In Word for the web, you can see watermarks that are already in a document, but you can’t change them or insert new ones.

If you have the Word desktop application, use the Open in Word command to open the document and insert or change a watermark there. When you’re done and you save the document, it will continue to be stored where you opened it in Word for the web. When you reopen it, you’ll see the watermarks in the doc.

First, create your custom watermark.

On the Design tab, select Watermark > Custom Watermark.

Choose Picture Watermark and select a picture, or choose Text watermark and type your watermark text in the Text box.

Next, save the watermark so you can use it in other documents.

Double-click near the top of the page, to open the header.

Move the cursor over the watermark until the cursor displays a four-headed arrow, and then click the watermark to select it.

On the Design tab, in the Page Background group, choose Watermark.

Select Save Selection to Watermark gallery.

Give the watermark a name, and click OK.

To insert your custom watermark in another document, select it under General in the gallery of watermarks.

First, create your custom watermark.

On the Page Layout tab, select Watermark > Custom Watermark.

Choose Picture Watermark and select a picture, or choose Text watermark and type your watermark text in the Text box.

Next, save the watermark so you can use it in other documents.

Double-click near the top of the page, to open the header.

Move the cursor over the watermark until the cursor displays a four-headed arrow, and then click the watermark to select it.

On the Page Layout tab, in the Page Background group, choose Watermark.

Select Save Selection to Watermark gallery.

Give the watermark a name, and click OK.

To insert your custom watermark in another document, select it under General in the gallery of watermarks.

If you are sharing some content online or with some other person, you cannot underestimate the possibility of it being misused or copied without your consent. People might start using your creation as their creation, and the most fundamental thing that you can do to prevent your creation from being copied is to use watermarks. If you are sharing some form of text, others can copy the text easily, however, if it is some official document prepared by you, or it is some photo, a watermark can prevent your creation from being copied in an unauthorized manner. If Microsoft Word is your daily driver when it comes to word processing and working with documents, the option to add watermark in also there on Microsoft Word, and anybody can use it.

You can either add a photo watermark or a text watermark depending upon your requirements. When it comes to adding watermarks, you can either add those watermarks that are already there, or you can also add your own custom watermarks, and it all depends upon your requirements. Besides talking about how you can add watermarks, I will also talk about how you can resize picture watermarks or edit picture watermarks after they added to your document for security purposes. If you know the way to add watermark to your document, it can come in handy in a number of everyday situations when you deal with different types of documents on Microsoft Word.

So, without any further delay, let’s get started with how you can add watermarks on your Microsoft Word documents.

Adding watermarks to Microsoft Word documents

Open Microsoft Word and complete the document. You can also open an existing document where you want to add a watermark. After you have opened the document, click on the ‘Design’ tab on top, and then click on the ‘Watermark’ dropdown menu.

Now, you can add any of the existing pre-designed watermarks by simply clicking on one of them, or you can also so use one at Office.com. But as only 2 different watermarks are provided, I am here to show you how you can create your own watermark. To add a new customized watermark, click on ‘ Custom Watermark… ’.

Adding a picture watermark

In the ‘ Printed Watermark ’ window that opens up, you can either select a picture watermark or you can add your own text and that will be used as a watermark. To use picture watermark, click on and select ‘ Picture watermark ’. Now click on the ‘ Select Picture… ’ button.

Now, the ‘ Insert Picture ’ window will appear. You can add an image for watermark purposes, either from the web, from OneDrive, or you can add one from your computer. Let me add a photo from the local drive. Just click on ‘Browse’ corresponding to ‘ From a file ’.

Now, select the image from the Windows Explorer window that opens up, and click on ‘Insert’ .

Now, you can change the scaling from the drop-down menu, and enable or disable washout, to adjust the brightness, and finally, click on ‘Apply’ , and then ‘OK’ . If you enable ‘Washout’ , the image will hardly be visible. So, enable or disable ‘Washout’ depending on your specific needs.

Editing the watermark

Enable the header & footer by double-clicking on the top or bottom of the document. Now, you can select the picture to edit it, and you can resize the picture, move it across the page, etc.

As the watermark will be visible in all the pages, changing the watermark on one page is going to apply the same settings across the document.

Adding a text watermark

Under several situations, you might need to add text watermarks, and you can do that, as well, using Microsoft Word.

In the ‘ Printed Watermark ’ window, click to select ‘ Text watermark ’, and then enter the text, configure the font style, size, color, the layout, i.e. diagonal or horizontal, and click on ‘Apply’ followed by ‘OK’ .

Now the text watermark will be immediately visible.

As it is a configurable text that is used as a watermark, you cannot change the watermark settings using the header & footer. What you can do is, use the ‘ Custom Watermark… ’ option to change the text, or configure some other settings associated with the watermark.

Removing watermark

To delete the watermark altogether, click on ‘Watermark’ under ‘Design’ , and then click on ‘ Remove Watermark ’.

The watermark in the current document will be removed immediately, and you can proceed with the document normally.

Using watermarks is the simplest way of adding a rudimentary level of security to your document to prevent it from getting copied. But that doesn’t mean your creation can’t be copied at all. With the help of watermarks, it will be tougher for others to copy your creation, compared to if no watermarks were there.

So, that was all about how you can deal with watermarks on Microsoft Word. Do you have any questions? Feel free to comment on the same below.

Give your document more depth and information with a watermark

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What to Know

• To add a text watermark, go to Design tab >Watermark >Custom Watermark >Text watermark > enter text.
• To add an image watermark, go to Design tab >Watermark >Custom Watermark >Picture watermark >Select Picture.

This article explains how to add, remove or change text and image watermarks in Word for Microsoft 365, Word 2019, Word 2016, Word 2013, and Word 2010.

Insert a Text Watermark in MS Word

Word includes several default text watermarks. Follow these steps to use one of the built-in formats or to create your own watermark.

In Word, open the document to which you want to add a watermark.

Go to the View tab and select Print Layout.

Go to the Design tab and, in the Page Background group, select Watermark. (Depending on the version of Word, the path may be Page Layout > Page Background > Watermark.)

To design a watermark, select Custom Watermark.

To quickly create a watermark, use one of the built-in styles. Select a watermark style in the gallery.

In the Printed Watermark dialog box, select Text watermark.

In the Text text box, enter the text you want to appear as a watermark.

You can customize the watermark font, size, color, and layout. By default, the watermark is semi-transparent. To make the watermark easier to see, clear the Semitransparent check box.

To apply the watermark to all pages of the document, select OK.

The watermark text appears on the document.

The watermark only appears in the document in Print Layout view. If you don’t see the text watermark, go to the View tab and select Print Layout.

Insert an Image Watermark in MS Word

Follow these steps to add an image watermark to a document.

In Word, open the document to which you want to add a watermark.

Go to the View tab and select Print Layout.

Go to the Design tab and, in the Page Background group, select Watermark. (Depending on the version of Word, the path may be Page Layout > Page Background > Watermark.)

Select Custom Watermark.

In the Printed Watermark dialog box, select Picture watermark.

Choose Select Picture.

In the Insert Pictures dialog box, select the location of the image you want to use.

Choose the picture you want to use as the watermark, then select Insert.

In the Printed Watermark dialog box, select OK to apply the watermark to all pages in the Word document.

The picture watermark appears in the document.

A watermark is a faded background image that displays behind the text in a document. You can use them to indicate a document’s state (confidential, draft, etc.), add a subtle company logo, or even for a bit of artistic flair. Here’s how to add and manipulate watermarks to your Word document.

How to Insert a Built-In Watermark

With your document open, switch over to the “Design” tab.

In the Page Background group on that tab, click the “Watermark” button.

On the drop-down menu, click any of the built-in watermarks to insert it into your document.

Word places the watermark behind the text.

How to Insert a Custom Watermark

You can also create custom watermarks from text or images. To do this, select the “Custom Watermark” from the “Watermark” drop-down menu.

Using Custom Text Watermarks

In the Printed Watermark window that opens, select the “Text Watermark” option. Type the text you want to use into the “Text” box and then configure the options for language, font, size, color, and orientation the way you want them. Click “OK” when you’re done.

Word inserts your custom text watermark behind the text.

Using Custom Picture Watermarks

If you want to use a picture as a watermark, select the “Picture Watermark” option and then click the “Select Picture” button.

You can use a picture file on your computer, search for an image on Bing, or select an image from your OneDrive storage.

Select an image from the results and then click the “Insert” button. We’re using an image from our computer.

Back in the Printed Watermark window, you have a couple of options for how your picture appears. The “Scale” is set to automatic by default, but you can change the size of your image if you want. The “Washout” option inserts the image with pale colors the way most watermarks appear. You can disable that option to have the image presented in its full glory. Click “OK” when you’ve set it up the way you want.

Word inserts the image behind the text in your document.

How to Move or Resize a Watermark

To move a watermark after inserting it, you’ll need to open the Header/Footer area in your document. Do so by double-clicking anywhere in the header or footer area.

When you do that, the watermark becomes editable. This is true whether you’re using a text or picture watermark. You can drag the image around to move it, or you can grab and drag any of its handles to resize it—just like you would with any other image.

Since the same watermark appears on all pages, resizing or moving it on one page means those same changes are made everywhere else.

How to Remove a Watermark

There are two ways to remove a watermark. The first is by opening the Header/Footer area, so the image is accessible (the same way we talked about in the previous section), selecting the image, and hitting the Delete key.

You can also switch to the “Design” tab, click the “Watermark” button, and then select the “Remove Watermark” command. Either way works just fine.

And just like with moving or resizing a watermark, deleting one removes it from every page of your document.

Add or Remove Watermarks Like DRAFT or a Picture in Microsoft Word

by Avantix Learning Team | Updated January 10, 2021

Applies to: Microsoft ® Word ® 2013, 2016, 2019 and 365 (Windows)

You can insert a watermark in the background of one or more pages in a Microsoft Word document. Common watermarks are text such as DRAFT or CONFIDENTIAL but you can also add a picture watermark. Watermarks typically appear faded or in grey in the background behind text. Technically, watermarks are WordArt or images inserted into a header. Therefore, they can be displayed in different sections in a document. You can remove a watermark using the Watermark drop-down menu.

For 2010 users, Watermark appears on the Page Layout tab in the Ribbon.

Inserting a text watermark (like DRAFT)

There are several default text watermarks available in Word.

• DRAFT
• CONFIDENTIAL
• SAMPLE
• DO NOT COPY

You can also type custom text and use it as a watermark.

To add a default text watermark in Word:

1. Click in the Word document. If you are using sections, click in the section in which you want to insert the watermark.
2. Click the Design tab in the Ribbon.
3. In the Page Background group, click Watermark. A drop-down menu appears.
4. Click the watermark you want to use.

The Watermark gallery displays the following default options:

To add a custom text watermark in Word:

1. Click in the Word document. If you are using sections, click in the section in which you want to insert the watermark.
2. Click the Design tab in the Ribbon.
3. In the Page Background group, click Watermark. A drop-down menu appears.
4. Click Custom Watermark. A dialog box appears.
5. Click Text Watermark.
6. Beside Text, type the text you want to use.
7. If necessary, select options for Font, Size and / or Color.
8. Check or uncheck Semitransparent (it is typically checked).
9. Beside Layout, select Horizontal or Diagonal.
10. Click OK.

In the Watermark dialog box, you can select text options as follows:

Inserting a picture watermark

You can insert a picture watermark to appear in the background of pages as well. A common picture watermark is a company logo.

To add a picture watermark from a file in Word:

1. Click in the Word document. If you are using sections, click in the section in which you want to insert the watermark.
2. Click the Design tab in the Ribbon.
3. In the Page Background group, click Watermark. A drop-down menu appears.
4. Select Custom Watermark. A dialog box appears.
5. Click Picture Watermark.
6. Click Select Picture. A dialog box appears.
7. If necessary, click From a File.
8. Navigate to the location of the picture and double-click it (or click the picture and click Insert).
9. In the Watermark dialog box, select a Scale option if desired.
10. Check or uncheck Washout (it is typically checked).
11. Click OK.

In the Watermark dialog box, you can select a picture to use as a watermark as follows:

Removing a watermark

To remove a watermark:

1. Click in the Word document. If you are using sections, click in the section with the watermark you want to remove.
2. Click the Design tab in the Ribbon.
3. In the Page Background group, click Watermark. A drop-down menu appears.
4. Select Remove watermark.

Watermarks can be useful in many scenarios, particularly when a document is a draft.

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