How to Add and Remove Watermarks in Word

To add a watermark in Word, choose Design → Watermark. You can use a label such as Draft or Confidential, or a picture behind the text, and remove it from the same menu.

This guide covers the desktop version of Word for Windows. Menu names and positions can differ between versions.

Insert a built-in watermark

1. Open the document and select Design.
2. Open Watermark and choose one of the available formats.
3. Check the result in Print Layout view to confirm that the watermark appears behind the document text.

A watermark indicates the document’s status or identity. It is not the same as password protection and does not prevent someone from opening or copying the file.

Create a text or picture watermark

1. Choose Design → Watermark → Custom Watermark.
2. Select a text watermark or picture watermark.
3. Set the needed options, apply them, and check readability over both light and dark parts of the document.

If a picture is too large or too strong, adjust its scale and display options. For a file that will be printed or saved as a PDF, inspect the final output as well as the editing view.

Remove a watermark

Choose Design → Watermark → Remove Watermark. If it remains, open the header on the affected page and check whether you can select and delete the watermark there. In a document with sections, verify that it has been removed from every intended section. See Microsoft's watermark removal instructions for the alternatives.

Check page-specific differences

Headers and sections can affect where a watermark appears. If only some pages should have it, first work on a copy and inspect the sections and links to previous headers. Treat a document-wide watermark and page-specific changes as separate tasks, then review every affected page.