This tutorial shows how to change the page background color in Word for Mac. We will also look at how to print Word documents with their background color.
Plus, the Pro Tip at the end shows a workaround to change the background color on specific pages in your Word document.
Quick Links:
- How to Change the Page Background Color
- How to Print Documents with a Page Background Color
- Pro Tip: Workaround to Change the Page Background Color on Specific Pages
This tutorial is available as a YouTube video showing all the steps in real time.
Watch more than 150 other writing-related software tutorials on my YouTube channel.
Are you on a PC? Please see “How to Change the Page Background Color in Microsoft Word.”
The images below are from Word for Microsoft 365 for Mac. These steps also apply to Word 2021 for Mac, Word 2019 for Mac, and Word 2016 for Mac.
How to Change the Page Background Color
These steps will change the page background color for your entire document. If you want to change the page background color for a specific page, please see the Pro Tip below.
- Select the Design tab in the ribbon.
- Select the Page Color button.
- Choose a color from the drop-down menu.
(Alternative) Select More Colors in the Page Color menu, and then choose advanced color options from the Colors dialog box.
After making your choice, your page background color should change immediately.
If you want to remove the page background color, reselect the Page Color button (see figure 2), and then select No Color from the drop-down menu (see figure 3).
How to Print Documents with a Page Background Color
By default, your Word options are usually set to print documents without page background colors because they require a lot of printer ink. However, you can print the page background colors if you want to.
You can also use these steps if you want to prevent your Word document from printing page background colors.
- Select the Word menu.
- Select Preferences from the drop-down menu.
- Select the Print button in the Word Preferences dialog box.
- Select Print background colors and images. Alternatively, uncheck this option if you do not want background colors to print.
The “images” mentioned in the option refer to images used as page backgrounds, not images inserted into your text.
- Select the Close button.
Continue to print your document as you normally would.
Pro Tip: Workaround to Change the Page Background Color on Specific Pages
Word for Mac doesn’t currently provide an official way to change the page background color on specific pages. However, we can use the rectangle shape as a quick workaround.
- Reduce the zoom on your screen so that you can see the whole page on your screen.
- Select the Insert tab in the ribbon.
- Select the Shapes button.
- Select the rectangle shape from the drop-down menu.
- Drag a rectangle over the entire page. (The rectangle will appear translucent blue when dragged.)
- Select the Shape Fill menu arrow.
- Select a color from the drop-down menu. Alternatively, select More Fill Colors, Picture, Gradient, or Texture for additional options.
- Control-click or right-click the rectangle, and then select the Send to Back menu arrow.
- Select Send Behind Text from the submenu.
- Return the zoom to a normal level (see figure 10).
If you want to delete the rectangle background color, select it by clicking in the margin area, and then press the Delete key on your keyboard.