How to Add a Watermark in Word
Microsoft Word has a built-in watermark feature that places text such as DRAFT or CONFIDENTIAL — or a picture like your logo — behind the content of every page. Here’s how to use it, customise it and remove it.
Quick answer
Go to the Design tab and click Watermark. Pick a built-in option (e.g. CONFIDENTIAL) or choose Custom Watermark to type your own text or select a Picture watermark. Set font, size, color, layout (diagonal/horizontal) and click OK.
How to add a custom watermark in Word
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Open the Design tab
Open your document and click the Design tab in the ribbon. (In some older versions the option is under Page Layout.)
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Click Watermark
On the right side of the ribbon click Watermark. You’ll see ready-made watermarks such as CONFIDENTIAL, DO NOT COPY, DRAFT and SAMPLE. Click one to apply it instantly.
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Choose Custom Watermark
For your own text or logo, select Custom Watermark… at the bottom of the menu.
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Text watermark settings
Select Text watermark, type your text, then pick the Font, Size (Auto adapts to the page), Color and Layout (Diagonal or Horizontal). Keep Semitransparent ticked.
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Or a picture watermark
Select Picture watermark, click Select Picture and choose your logo. Set Scale and keep Washout ticked so it fades behind the text.
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Apply
Click Apply to preview and OK to close. The watermark appears on every page of the document (or of the current section).
How to add a watermark to only one page
Word watermarks live in the header, so they apply to every page of a section. To limit it to one page:
- Insert section breaks before and after the page (Layout → Breaks → Next Page).
- Double-click the header of the following section and turn off Link to Previous.
- Insert the watermark in the section you want, and remove it from the others.
Alternatively, right-click a watermark in the gallery and choose to insert it at the current document position.
How to remove a watermark in Word
Go to Design → Watermark → Remove Watermark. If it doesn’t disappear, double-click the header area, click the watermark and press Delete.
Sending the document? Watermark the PDF instead
A Word watermark can be removed by anyone who opens the .docx. If you’re sending the file to someone else, it’s usually better to export it to PDF (File → Save As → PDF) and watermark the PDF. With WatermarkOn’s PDF tool you can also do things Word can’t: tile the watermark across the whole page, choose any angle and opacity, place it exactly by percentage or pixels, and watermark many PDFs at once.
The faster way: watermark without Microsoft Word
Microsoft Word gets the job done, but it was not built for watermarking. If you just need your name or logo on your files, WatermarkOn does it in your browser in under a minute:
- Open WatermarkOn and drop in your images or PDFs (as many as you want).
- Type your text or upload your logo (transparent PNG works best).
- Pick a position — a preset like centred or bottom-right, an exact percentage, or a pixel distance from any corner — then set opacity and rotation.
- Click “Add watermark” and download each file or everything as a ZIP.
Microsoft Word vs WatermarkOn
| Microsoft Word | WatermarkOn | |
|---|---|---|
| Time for 20 files | 20+ min (one document at a time) | About 1 minute |
| Batch processing | No | Yes, unlimited files at once |
| Watermark PDFs | Only for documents you create in Word | Yes, all pages or a page range |
| Precise positioning | Centred, diagonal or horizontal | Presets, % or pixels from any corner |
| Install / account | Microsoft 365 / Office | Nothing, works in any browser |
| Price | Paid (Microsoft 365 or Office) | Free |