How to Insert Watermark in Word? 3 Easy Ways
(Note: This guide on how to insert watermark in Word is suitable for all MS Word versions including Office 365)
When you create any form of content that is available for public usage, it is a necessity to authenticate your work to prevent plagiarism and IPR violations. The content can be a post on a blog or an image, which can both be considered intellectual property. It can also be in the form of documents.
There are chances of copying and counterfeiting your content. To keep your work from being plagiarized, you will need to brand it and protect them.
In such a scenario, what do you do? To keep your document as your own, you can use a watermark.
In this article, I will tell you how to insert watermark in Word and customize them.
You’ll Learn:
- What Is a Watermark?
- How to Insert and Customize a Watermark in Word?
- How to Move the Watermark in Word?
- How to Remove a Watermark in Word?
Watch this short video and learn how to insert watermark in Word
What Is a Watermark?
Before we learn how to insert watermark in Word, let us see what a watermark is and its significance.
Watermark is a piece of text which is superimposed onto a document in a transparent way that does not hinder the readability of the document. They can be in the form of text or images, and they can be used anywhere in the document. You can add the watermark to the corner of the pages or superimpose them in the center of the page in any orientation you like.
It is always wise to add a watermark to every page of the document for additional security purposes. Watermarks provide additional security for your content and prevent any tampering or counterfeiting of your content. This helps protect your document and prevents anyone from using your document without permission.
How to Insert and Customize a Watermark in Word?
Let us now see how to insert watermark in Word and customize them.
Insert a Default Watermark in Word
To insert a watermark, navigate to Design. Under the Page Background section, click on the dropdown from Watermark.
The drop-down from the Watermark option houses a couple of watermarks by default under different sections, namely (1)Confidential, (2)Disclaimers, and (3)Urgent, available with different formatting. You can click on the watermark you want depending on your needs and they will be instantly added to your document.
The watermark can be seen as a fine addition that does not hinder the readability of the content in the document.
Note: When you select any watermark, it will be added to every page of the document.
Insert a Custom Watermark
Microsoft Word only has a couple of default watermarks that can be added to your document. In case you are not satisfied with the available options, you can choose to add a watermark in a custom way.
To add a custom watermark, navigate to the Design main menu. Click on the Custom Watermark option from the Watermark dropdown.
This opens up a Printed Watermark dialog box. In this dialog box, you can either select the option to insert a picture watermark or add a text watermark.
Insert a Picture Watermark
In the Printed Watermark dialog box, click on the Picture Watermark radio button. This enables the option to add a picture.
To add the image, click on the Select Picture button. This shows you three ways you can add pictures. You can either add the images from the local drive, the cloud, or online resources and add them as the watermark.
In this case, let us add the image from the local drive. Navigate to the file location, select the image you want to add and click on insert.
You can change the scale of the image in proportion to the dimensions of the page. If you select Auto, the image will be resized to the resolution of the page for the best fit possible. The higher the scale, the greater the size of the image will be.
Checking the checkbox for the Washout option will lighten the image further and make the image even more transparent.
If you want to edit or change the watermarked image again, navigate to the Design tab. From the Watermark dropdown, select the Custom Watermark option.
Add Text Watermark
You can add any text watermark to your Word document using the Custom Watermark option. Click on the Text Watermark radio button. This enables the option to enter the text as a watermark and customize them.
When you add a text watermark in Word, there are several customization options available in addition to adding the text. Let us see them in detail.
Language: Microsoft Word has a range of languages ranging from international to regional languages. You can choose to have the watermark in the selected language and script.
Text: Enter the text you want to add as a watermark.
Font: Using this dropdown, you can change the font of the text watermark.
Size: This option helps you change the size of the watermark. If you want the watermark to appear smaller in the document, opt for smaller sizes. If you want the watermark to have emphasis and occupy a large portion, larger fonts are preferable. Setting the font size to Auto and Word will automatically resize the text to the dimensions of the document.
Color: This option helps you set the color of the text. Darker shades will add more emphasis to the watermark. Check the Semitransparent checkbox to make the watermarked text even a little more transparent.
Layout: You can change the orientation of the watermark to appear either horizontally or diagonally.
How to Move the Watermark in Word?
If you feel like you are not satisfied with the location and orientation of the watermark, you can choose to move, resize, or rotate them.
To move a watermark in Word, first, enable the Header and Footer edit mode by double clicking on the header or footer section on a page.
Now, scroll down and click on the watermark. This enables the anchor points around the watermark that helps you move, resize, and rotate the watermark.
Once you have resized and moved the watermark to your desired location, you can close the Header and Footer section either by clicking on the Close Header and Footer button or by double-clicking anywhere on the page.
Note: In addition to the selected watermark applying to every page of the document, every customization or change you make to the watermark also applies to every page of the document.
How to Remove a Watermark in Word?
If you feel like there is no need for a watermark in your document, you can remove the watermark in the same way you enabled them.
Navigate to Design. Under the Watermark dropdown, click on the Remove Watermark button.
This removes the watermark from your document in an instant.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why can’t I add a watermark to my Word document?
You cannot add watermarks to Word documents when they are set in Web Layout mode. Watermarks can only be added when the Word document is set to Print Layout mode. You can change them at the right bottom of the document near the magnification toolbar.
How to make my watermark more transparent?
When your watermark is a picture watermark, select the Washout checkbox for an even transparent background. If it is a text watermark, try changing the color and check the Semitransparent checkbox.
What is the keyboard shortcut to insert a watermark in Word?
Using the Windows hotkeys is the fastest way to insert a watermark in Word. Press the Alt key to enable the hotkey selection mode and press the keys G>P>W one after the other to insert the watermark in Word.
Closing Thoughts
Watermarks are used for a variety of purposes and are sometimes deemed very essential for some purposes. While it lets the user access and refers to your document, it gives additional information and upholds confidentiality.
In this article, we saw how to insert watermark in Word either as a default watermark or as a custom picture or text watermark. You can select the watermark and customize them based on your preference.
If you find this guide helpful and are looking for more guides, please visit our Excel resources center.
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Simon Calder
Chris “Simon” Calder was working as a Project Manager in IT for one of Los Angeles’ most prestigious cultural institutions, LACMA.He taught himself to use Microsoft Project from a giant textbook and hated every moment of it. Online learning was in its infancy then, but he spotted an opportunity and made an online MS Project course - the rest, as they say, is history!
