How to Add a Watermark in Microsoft Word

When working in Microsoft Word, adding a watermark is a simple way to label your document as confidential, draft, or branded with your company identity.

In this guide, you’ll learn how to insert a watermark in Word, customize it, and remove or edit it whenever needed.

Contents hide

1 Why Use a Watermark in Word

2 Method 1: Add a Built-In Watermark

3 Method 2: Create a Custom Text Watermark

4 Method 3: Add a Picture Watermark

5 How to Preview Your Watermark Before Printing

6 How to Edit or Remove a Watermark

7 When to Use Each Watermark Type

8 Quick Summary (Key Takeaways)

9 FAQs

10 Conclusion

11 Related Tutorials

Why Use a Watermark in Word

Watermarks help communicate important information about your document. They are commonly used to:

Mark documents as Confidential, Draft, or Urgent
Add branding such as a company logo
Protect sensitive or internal documents — often paired with password-protecting a Word document
Improve document presentation

Watch the Video Tutorial

If you prefer to see this in action, the full video walkthrough is below, showing each method step by step.

Method 1: Add a Built-In Watermark

Word includes several pre-designed watermark options you can use instantly.

Steps:

Go to the Design tab
Click Watermark in the Page Background section

Microsoft Word interface showing Design tab with Watermark option highlighted in the Page Background section

Choose from built-in options like:
Confidential
Draft
Do Not Copy
Urgent

Microsoft Word watermark menu showing built-in options like urgent and ASAP watermark templates

👉 The watermark will appear as faded text behind your document content.

Method 2: Create a Custom Text Watermark

If you want more control, you can create your own watermark.

Steps:

Go to Design → Watermark
Click Custom Watermark

Microsoft Word custom watermark option highlighted in design tab showing watermark gallery and custom watermark selection

Select Text watermark
Customize your watermark:
- Enter your text (e.g., Version 1)
- Choose a font and size (e.g., 144)
- Select a color
- Enable Semi-transparent for readability
- Choose layout (Diagonal or Horizontal)
Click Apply, then Close

Microsoft Word printed watermark settings window showing text watermark options like font, size, color, and diagonal layout selection

👉 Your custom watermark will appear behind your text.

Method 3: Add a Picture Watermark

You can also use an image, such as a logo — for related image controls, see how to make an image transparent in Word.

Steps:

Go to Design → Watermark
Click Custom Watermark
Select Picture watermark
Upload your image
Adjust scaling and transparency
Click Apply

👉 This is ideal for branding documents.

How to Preview Your Watermark Before Printing

Before finalizing your document:

Steps:

Press Ctrl + P
View the print preview

👉 This ensures your watermark looks correct when printed.

How to Edit or Remove a Watermark

You can easily update or remove a watermark — for the full step-by-step on stubborn watermarks, see how to remove a watermark in Word.

Steps:

Go to Design → Watermark
Choose one of the following:
- Custom Watermark → Edit your existing watermark
- Remove Watermark → Delete it completely

👉 Changes apply instantly.