Erin Wright Writing

Writing-Related Software Tutorials

How to Add Paragraph Shading in Microsoft Word (PC & Mac)

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Paint cans and brushes with text overlay "How to Add Paragraph Shading in Microsoft Word"We recently added paragraph borders in Microsoft Word. Today, we’re going to add paragraph shading. We’ll also look at how to remove paragraph shading.

Like borders, paragraph shading can be used to highlight important information or add visual interest to your document.

In addition, borders and shading can be combined to create a more dramatic effect.

Paragraph with border and shading in Word 365
Figure 1. Paragraph with border and shading

Table of Contents

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The images below are from Word for Microsoft 365. These steps also apply to Word for Microsoft 365 for Mac (a.k.a., Word for Mac), Word 2021, Word 2019, and Word 2016. In addition, the steps will be similar in older versions of the software.

How to Add Paragraph Shading

  1. Select the paragraph or paragraphs to which you want to add the shading.
Selected paragraph in Word 365
Figure 2. Selected paragraph
  1. Select the Home tab in the ribbon.
Home tab in Word 365
Figure 3. Home tab
  1. Select the Shading menu arrow. (Avoid selecting the Shading button itself because it will automatically apply the most recently used color to your selected paragraph.)
Shading menu arrow in Word 365
Figure 4. Shading menu arrow
  1. (Basic option) Select a color from the Shading drop-down menu.
Shading menu color options in Word 365
Figure 5. Shading menu color options
  1. (Advanced option) Select More Colors from the Shading drop-down menu.
More Colors option in the Shading menu in Word 365
Figure 6. More Colors option
  1. Select a color from the Standard tab in the Colors dialog box.
Standard tab in the Colors dialog box in Word 365
Figure 7. Standard colors
  1. (Alternative) Select the Custom tab for more options.
Custom tab in the Colors dialog box in Word 365
Figure 8. Custom tab
  1. Click an area in the color palette and then use the slider on the right to modify the saturation and hue.
Colors palette in the Custom tab in the Colors dialog box in Word 365
Figure 9. Custom color palette

Word for Mac users have more palette options, so they should explore the Colors dialog box.

Colors dialog box in Word for Mac
Figure 10. Colors dialog box in Word for Mac
  1. (PC users) Enter a RGB, HSL, or Hex color code into the text boxes.
Color code text boxes in the Colors dialog box in Word 365
Figure 11. Color code text boxes

(Mac users) Select the Color Sliders tab and then enter a RGB, CMYK, HSB, or Hex color code using the sliders and text boxes.

Color Sliders tab in the Colors dialog box in Word for Mac
Figure 12. Colors Sliders tab in Word for Mac
  1. Select the OK button.
OK button in the Colors dialog box in Word 365
Figure 13. OK button

The new shading should be applied to your paragraph.

Paragraph with shading in Word 365
Figure 14. Paragraph with shading

How to Remove Paragraph Shading

  1. Place your cursor in the paragraph.
  2. Select the Home tab in the ribbon (see figure 3).
  3. Select the Shading menu arrow (see figure 4).
  4. Select No Color from the Shading drop-down menu.
No Color option in the Shading menu in Word 365
Figure 15. No Color option

The shading should be removed from your paragraph.

Related Resources

How to Change the Page Background Color in Microsoft Word

How to Change the Page Background Color in Word for Mac

How to Insert and Remove Page Borders in Microsoft Word (PC & Mac)

Updated February 05, 2023