How to Add a Watermark to a Google Doc (Text or Image)

When sharing sensitive documents, draft proposals, or confidential company reports, it is often necessary to visually indicate the document’s status to anyone reading it. The most professional way to do this is by adding a watermark—a faint, transparent image or piece of text that sits behind your main content.

For years, Google Docs users had to rely on frustrating workarounds (like manually inserting images behind text on every single page) to achieve this effect. Fortunately, Google recently introduced a native, built-in watermarking tool that makes the process incredibly simple.

In this guide, we will show you exactly how to add both text and image watermarks to your Google Docs, ensuring your branding or “CONFIDENTIAL” warnings are perfectly formatted.

How to Add a Text Watermark in Google Docs

A text watermark is perfect for stamping words like “DRAFT,” “CONFIDENTIAL,” or “DO NOT COPY” diagonally across every page of your document.

1. Open your document in Google Docs on a desktop web browser.
2. Click on Insert in the top menu bar.
3. Scroll down and select Watermark. A settings panel will slide open on the right side of your screen.
4. At the top of this panel, click the Text tab.
5. In the “Text” box, type the word or phrase you want to use (e.g., “CONFIDENTIAL”).
6. Use the formatting tools below the text box to customise its appearance:
   • Font: Choose a bold, highly readable font like Arial or Impact.
   • Transparency: Adjust the slider so the watermark is faint enough that the main document text is still perfectly legible.
   • Position: Choose whether you want the text to run horizontally across the middle of the page or diagonally from corner to corner (Diagonal is usually the most professional choice).
7. Click Done at the bottom of the panel.

The text will now automatically appear on the background of every single page in your document.

How to Add an Image Watermark in Google Docs

If you are preparing a formal business proposal or a branded report, adding a faded version of your company logo behind the text adds a highly professional touch.

1. Open your document and click Insert > Watermark.
2. In the right-hand panel, ensure the Image tab is selected.
3. Click the large box that says Select Image.
4. You can now upload your company logo from your computer, or select it directly from your Google Drive.
5. Once the image is loaded, Google Docs will automatically fade it. Ensure the Faded checkbox remains ticked so the image does not overpower your text.
6. Use the Scale dropdown menu to adjust the size of the logo. You can make it fill the entire page (100%) or keep it small and centred in the middle.
7. Click Done.

How to Edit or Remove a Watermark

If you need to change your “DRAFT” watermark to “FINAL”, or if you want to remove the watermark entirely before publishing, the process is very straightforward.

1. Click Insert > Watermark to reopen the right-hand panel.
2. To edit the watermark, simply change the text or upload a new image in the panel and click Done.
3. To completely remove the watermark from the entire document, scroll to the very bottom of the panel and click the Remove watermark button.

By utilising this native Google Docs feature, you can quickly secure and brand your documents without relying on expensive, complex desktop publishing software.