Where is the Watermark button in Word?

It is on the Design tab, in the Page Background group, in Word for Microsoft 365 and Word 2024, 2021, 2019 and 2016 on Windows. On a Mac, Microsoft also places it under Design.

Can I add a watermark in Word for the web?

No. Microsoft says Word for the web shows existing watermarks but cannot insert or change one, so open the document in the desktop app.

How do I put a logo in Word as a watermark?

On Windows choose Design, Watermark, Custom Watermark, Picture Watermark, then Select Picture. On a Mac choose Design, Watermark, then Picture and Select Picture.

How do I make a Word watermark paler?

On a Mac, keep Washout checked for a picture. On Windows, Microsoft points to Recolor, Brightness and Contrast for a picture, and to Transparency for text.

Can a Word watermark go on only one page?

Yes, in the Windows steps Microsoft gives. Use Insert at Current Document Position, which places the watermark as a text box.

How to add a watermark in Word

In Word on Windows or Mac, open the Design tab, select Watermark, and choose a ready-made mark such as DRAFT or CONFIDENTIAL. On Windows, Custom Watermark adds your own text or picture. Word for the web can show a watermark but cannot insert one.

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

Watermark in Word on all pages

Word has a built-in watermark gallery. On the Design tab, select Watermark and choose a pre-configured mark such as DRAFT, CONFIDENTIAL or DO NOT COPY, as Microsoft describes on its insert a watermark page. Microsoft lists this for Word for Microsoft 365, Word 2024, 2021, 2019 and 2016.

In Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows (steps checked October 2026):

Open the document.
On the Design tab, in the Page Background group, select Watermark.
Select a watermark in the gallery, such as DRAFT or Confidential.
Check the result in File > Print, which shows how the watermark will look on the page.

Microsoft's put a watermark on all pages page gives only those two steps and no extra one for the other pages. It also warns that if one page already carries a watermark, adding one to all pages can leave two watermarks on that page.

Our own advice, not Microsoft's: look at the last page and at any page with a different section or layout before you send the file. Microsoft tells you to use Print Layout and the print preview to check, and does not promise how every layout behaves.

Custom text or picture watermark in Word

For your own words or a logo, use the same menu. Microsoft's custom watermark page says to select Design > Watermark > Custom Watermark, then choose Picture Watermark and select a picture, or choose Text watermark and type your text in the Text box, and click OK.

In Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows (steps checked October 2026), for a picture watermark:

On the Design tab, in the Page Background group, select Watermark.
Select Custom Watermark.
Select Picture Watermark.
Click Select Picture.
Find a picture of your own, or search Bing images, then choose it and select Insert.
Click OK.

Those steps follow Microsoft's picture watermark page. Microsoft's pages do not name a layout, size or font choice for the Windows text dialog, so we do not list any here.

Keep a custom watermark for the next document

Microsoft says a custom watermark can be saved and reused. Double-click near the top of the page to open the header, move the cursor over the watermark until it shows a four-headed arrow, and click it. Then choose Design > Watermark > Save Selection to Watermark gallery, give it a name and click OK. In another document, select it under General in the gallery of watermarks (Microsoft).

Picture watermark in Word and how to make it lighter

Microsoft says an easy way to make pages look like stationery is a picture watermark. We suggest a pale picture, so the page text stays readable.

On a Mac, the picture watermark page has you choose Design > Watermark, select Picture > Select Picture, browse to the file, and next to Scale make sure Auto is selected and Washout is checked, then choose OK.

To change how a watermark looks on Windows, Microsoft's washout page describes these routes:

Picture: open the header, click the watermark when the four-headed arrow shows, then under Picture Tools select Format and try Recolor, Brightness or Contrast.
Text: under WordArt Tools select Format > Shape Fill > More Fill Colors, and adjust Transparency.
On a Mac: double-click the watermark in the header to open Format Picture, then on the Picture tab try Picture Transparency or Picture Corrections. To restyle a text watermark on a Mac, Microsoft says to insert a new one and use Font Color or Transparency.

Microsoft gives no washout percentage, so we cannot tell you a number. See how to judge the right strength in our guide to watermark opacity, or check the page in File > Print.

Watermark in Word on a Mac

On a Mac, Design > Watermark opens an Insert Watermark dialog. Select Text and either type your own text or pick one such as DRAFT from the list. Microsoft lists the font, layout, size, colours and orientation as the things you can set, then you select OK (Microsoft).

If you do not see the watermark, Microsoft says to click View > Print Layout, which also shows how the printed watermark will look. Microsoft's Mac pages do not describe a Custom Watermark submenu, so the Mac steps above are the ones its pages give.

Watermark in Word online (Word for the web)

Word for the web cannot add one. Microsoft says that in Word for the web you can see watermarks that are already in a document, but you cannot change them or insert new ones (Microsoft). Its all pages page names the route to the desktop app as Editing > Open in Desktop App, at the top of the ribbon. Another Microsoft page calls the button Open in Word, so look for whichever button opens the desktop app.

We found no Microsoft watermark page for Word on iPhone, iPad or Android, so we do not describe those apps.

Watermark on just one page in Word

For a single page, place the cursor where the watermark should go. Then select Design > Watermark, right-click the watermark you want, and select Insert at Current Document Position. Microsoft says it then appears as a text box (Microsoft). Microsoft does not say that box behaves like the document-wide watermark.

Another route: mark the PDF instead

If the document is finished and you are sending a PDF, you can add the text there. Fix Watermark adds a text or logo watermark to every page of a PDF, or only the pages you choose, in your browser, and nothing is uploaded. Open the PDF watermark tool, drop in your PDF, type the word, and download the copy. Free: up to 3 PDFs per run, every page, unlimited runs. Nothing of ours added.

The wording to use is covered in our guide to DRAFT and CONFIDENTIAL watermarks. If a Word watermark is missing in one place, see why a Word watermark is not showing or is not on every page.

Sources

Checked October 30, 2026.

Questions

Where is the Watermark button in Word?: It is on the Design tab, in the Page Background group, in Word for Microsoft 365 and Word 2024, 2021, 2019 and 2016 on Windows. On a Mac, Microsoft also places it under Design.
Can I add a watermark in Word for the web?: No. Microsoft says Word for the web shows existing watermarks but cannot insert or change one, so open the document in the desktop app.
How do I put a logo in Word as a watermark?: On Windows choose Design, Watermark, Custom Watermark, Picture Watermark, then Select Picture. On a Mac choose Design, Watermark, then Picture and Select Picture.
How do I make a Word watermark paler?: On a Mac, keep Washout checked for a picture. On Windows, Microsoft points to Recolor, Brightness and Contrast for a picture, and to Transparency for text.
Can a Word watermark go on only one page?: Yes, in the Windows steps Microsoft gives. Use Insert at Current Document Position, which places the watermark as a text box.