How to add a watermark in Google Docs

In Google Docs on a computer, choose Insert, then Page elements, then Watermark, pick Image or Text, and click Done. Google says the watermark sits behind your text and repeats on every page. It is not available in pageless documents or in the phone apps.

Published October 30, 2026. Drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources linked on this page. How we write our guides.

Watermark in Google Docs: text or image

Google Docs supports both. Google says you can add text or image watermarks, which appear behind your text and repeat on every page of your document (Google Docs Editors Help). The page says adding one happens in Google Docs on a computer.

For a text watermark, in Google Docs in a desktop browser (steps checked October 2026):

1. Open the document.
2. Go to Insert > Page elements > Watermark.
3. In the panel on the right, click Text.
4. Type the text you want to appear as a watermark, such as DRAFT or CONFIDENTIAL.
5. Optional: format your watermark in the panel on the right.
6. Click Done.

Those steps follow Google's page. Google does not say which formatting controls the panel offers, so we do not list them.

Watermark image in Google Docs

An image works the same way, starting from the same menu. In Google Docs in a desktop browser (steps checked October 2026):

1. Open the document.
2. Go to Insert > Page elements > Watermark.
3. In the panel on the right, click Image.
4. Click Select image.
5. Choose a picture from Drive, Photos, a URL or your camera, or upload one from your computer.
6. Optional: format the watermark in the panel on the right.
7. Click Done.

Google's page does not document a transparency, opacity or size control, so we cannot tell you where one is. If the image is too strong, we suggest preparing a paler version first; our guide to adding a watermark in Word shows the same idea in another app.

If the mark shows gaps

Google says that if you see gaps in your watermark, it may be because the text in your document has a background colour. Clear the text's background colour (Google).

Edit the watermark later

To change it, right-click the watermark and click Select watermark. For text, click Edit watermark below the watermark; for an image, select Image options in the toolbar (Google).

Watermark option not showing in Google Docs

Google documents two causes. We do not add others, because Google's page does not.

• Pageless format. Google says watermarks are not available in documents that are in pageless format, and that to see and use them your document must be in pages format (Google). Switching a document that has a watermark to pageless hides it, and switching back to pages shows it again, per Google's pages or pageless page.
• The phone or tablet app. Google says to add, edit or delete a watermark you go to Google Docs on your computer.

To check the format on a computer, Google says to go to File > Page setup and choose Pages or Pageless at the top of the dialog, then click OK. You can also click Format and select Switch to Pages format.

Watermark in Google Docs on mobile

The Google Docs apps for Android, iPhone and iPad do not add one. Google's page for each says to use Google Docs on your computer. It does not say whether those apps can display a watermark that was added on a computer, so we make no claim either way.

To look at the page setting in the app, Google says: on Android, open a document, tap Edit, then More, then Page setup, and turn Pageless on or off. On iPhone and iPad, open a document, tap More, then Page setup, and turn Pageless on or off.

When a PDF is the better place for the mark

Google's help pages do not say whether a Docs watermark appears in a downloaded PDF or a printout, so check that yourself before you rely on it. If you already have the PDF, Fix Watermark adds a text or logo watermark to every page of a PDF, or only the pages you choose, in your browser. Open the PDF watermark tool, add your file, type the word, then download the copy. Free: up to 3 PDFs per run, every page, unlimited runs. Nothing of ours added.

For wording and when to choose DRAFT or CONFIDENTIAL, see our guide to DRAFT and CONFIDENTIAL watermarks. For Adobe's own steps, see our guide to adding a watermark in Acrobat.

Sources

Checked October 30, 2026.

• support.google.com/docs/answer/11560109
• support.google.com/docs/answer/11528737