How to Automatically Add a Watermark to Every Page in Microsoft Word

When you are distributing a highly confidential business proposal, a rough draft of a novel, or a sensitive legal document, you want to ensure that anyone reading or printing it instantly understands its status. Relying on a small header at the top of the page is often not enough, as it can be easily missed or ignored.

The most effective way to protect your document’s intent is by placing a large, semi-transparent watermark—such as the words “CONFIDENTIAL” or “DRAFT”—diagonally across the centre of the page. Microsoft Word includes a dedicated tool that allows you to instantly apply a uniform watermark to every single page of your document without having to manually insert and format images or text boxes.

Using Built-in Watermarks

Microsoft Word comes pre-loaded with a selection of standard watermarks that are suitable for most professional situations. This is the fastest way to mark your document.

1. Open your document in the Microsoft Word desktop application.
2. Look at the ribbon menu at the very top of the screen and click on the Design tab.
3. Look towards the far right side of the ribbon (in the “Page Background” group) and click the button labelled Watermark.
4. A dropdown gallery will appear showing several default options grouped by category, such as “Confidential”, “Do Not Copy”, “Draft”, and “ASAP”.
5. Click on the specific watermark you want to use.
6. The watermark will instantly appear diagonally across the centre of every page in your document. Because it is placed behind the text layer, it will not interfere with your reading or editing.

Creating a Custom Text Watermark

If the built-in options do not fit your needs (for example, if you want the watermark to display your company name, “INTERNAL USE ONLY”, or a specific date), you can easily create a custom text watermark.

1. Go to the Design tab and click on the Watermark button.
2. At the bottom of the dropdown menu, click on Custom Watermark.
3. A popup window will appear. Select the radio button next to Text watermark.
4. In the Text field, type the exact phrase you want to appear across the page.
5. You can use the other dropdown menus on this screen to customise the font, size, and colour of the text. (It is highly recommended to leave the “Semitransparent” box checked so the text does not obscure your actual document content).
6. Select whether you want the text to run Diagonal or Horizontal.
7. Click OK to apply your custom watermark to the document.

Removing a Watermark

If the document is finalised and you need to remove the “DRAFT” marking before publishing, removing the watermark takes only two clicks.

1. Click on the Design tab.
2. Click on the Watermark button.
3. At the bottom of the menu, click Remove Watermark. The text will instantly disappear from all pages.