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How to Change the Page Background Color in Word for Mac

By Erin Wright

Assortment of colored notebooks with text overlay "How to Change the Page Background Color in Word for Mac"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.

  1. Select the Design tab in the ribbon.
Design tab in Word for Mac
Figure 1. Design tab
  1. Select the Page Color button.
Page Color button in the design tab in Word for Mac
Figure 2. Page Color button
  1. Choose a color from the drop-down menu.
Page Color menu in the Design tab in Word for Mac
Figure 3. Page Color menu

(Alternative) Select More Colors in the Page Color menu, and then choose advanced color options from the Colors dialog box.

Colors dialog box in Word for Mac
Figure 4. 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.

Important Note: When printing page background colors, there will usually be a white margin around the page because most printers can’t print from edge to edge.
  1. Select the Word menu.
Word menu in Word for Mac
Figure 5. Word menu
  1. Select Preferences from the drop-down menu.
Preferences option in the Word menu in Word for Mac
Figure 6. Preferences option
  1. Select the Print button in the Word Preferences dialog box.
Print button in the Word Preferences dialog box in Word for Mac
Figure 7. Print button
  1. 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.

"Print background colors and images" in the Print dialog box in Word for Mac
Figure 8. Print background colors and images option
  1. Select the Close button.
Close button in the Print dialog box in Word for Mac
Figure 9. 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.

Important Note: The shapes used in this workaround don’t become part of the page background. Therefore, they will print as normal images inserted into your text.
  1. Reduce the zoom on your screen so that you can see the whole page on your screen.
Page zoom in Word for Mac
Figure 10. Page zoom
  1. Select the Insert tab in the ribbon.
Insert tab in Word for Mac
Figure 11. Insert tab
  1. Select the Shapes button.
Shapes button in Word for Mac
Figure 12. Shapes button
  1. Select the rectangle shape from the drop-down menu.
Rectangle shape in Word for Mac
Figure 13. Rectangle shape
  1. Drag a rectangle over the entire page. (The rectangle will appear translucent blue when dragged.)
Rectangle shape dragged over page in Word for Mac
Figure 14. Rectangle shape dragged over page
  1. Select the Shape Fill menu arrow.
Shape Fill menu arrow in Word for Mac
Figure 15. Shape Fill menu arrow
  1. Select a color from the drop-down menu. Alternatively, select More Fill Colors, Picture, Gradient, or Texture for additional options.
Shape Fill menu in Word for Mac
Figure 16. Shape Fill menu
  1. Control-click or right-click the rectangle, and then select the Send to Back menu arrow.
Send to Back menu arrow in the Shape shortcut menu in Word for Mac
Figure 17. Send to Back menu arrow
  1. Select Send Behind Text from the submenu.
Send Behind Text option in Word for Mac
Figure 18. Send Behind Text option
  1. 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.

Related Resources

How to Create Custom List Numbers in Word for Mac

How to Cut, Copy, and Paste in Word for Mac

Filed Under: Microsoft Word Tagged With: formatting, Microsoft 365, Word 365, Word for Mac

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Technical Writer and Editor Erin Wright

Hello! My name is Erin. I am a technical writer and editor who shares writing-related software tutorials on this website and on YouTube.

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