Erin Wright Writing

Writing-Related Software Tutorials

How to Insert Watermarks on Specific Pages in Microsoft Word

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This tutorial shows how to insert built-in and custom watermarks on specific pages in Microsoft Word.

This is the third part of a three-part series about watermarks in Word. The first part shows how to insert text watermarks and the second part shows how to insert image watermarks.

The steps shown here can be used for text and image watermarks.

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This tutorial is available as a YouTube video showing all the steps in real time.

Watch more than 200 other writing-related software tutorials on my YouTube channel.

The images below are from Word for Microsoft 365. These steps also apply to Word 2021, Word 2019, Word 2016, and Word 2013. These steps don’t apply to Word for Mac.

How to Insert a Built-In Watermark on a Specific Page

  1. Place your cursor in the page to which you want to add the watermark.
  2. Select the Design tab in the ribbon.
Design tab in Word 365
Figure 1. Design tab
  1. Select Watermark in the Page Background group.
Watermark button in Word 365
Figure 2. Watermark button
  1. Right-click the design you want in the drop-down menu, and then select Insert at Current Document Position from the shortcut menu.
Built-in Watermark shortcut menu "Insert at Current Document Position" option in Word 365
Figure 3. Insert at Current Document Position option

The built-in watermark should appear on the page where you inserted your cursor.

How to Insert a Custom Watermark on a Specific Page

This section includes the basic steps for creating a custom watermark. If you have already created and inserted your custom watermark, you can skip to step 6.

  1. Select the Design tab in the ribbon (see figure 1).
  2. Select Watermark in the Page Background group (see figure 2).
  3. Select Custom Watermark from the drop-down menu.
Custom Watermark option in Word 365
Figure 4. Custom Watermark option
  1. Create and customize your watermark in the Printed Watermark dialog box.
For step-by-step tutorials about creating custom watermarks, please see “How to Insert and Modify Text Watermarks in Microsoft Word” and “How to Insert and Modify Image Watermarks in Microsoft Word.”
Printed Watermark dialog box in Word 365
Figure 5. Custom watermark options
  1. Select the OK button.
Ok button in the Printed Watermark dialog box in Word 365
Figure 6. OK button

Your custom watermark should be inserted in your whole document or current section. (Don’t worry, we will remove it soon.)

  1. Double-click the top of the page to open the Header & Footer tab.
Opened Header & Footer tab in Word 365
Figure 7. Header & Footer tab
  1. Click the watermark to select it. Small resizing handles will appear around the watermark when it is selected.
Selected watermark in Word 365
Figure 8. Selected watermark with resizing handles
  1. Select the Design tab in the ribbon (see figure 1).
  2. Select Watermark in the Page Background group (see figure 2).
  3. Select Save Selection to Watermark Gallery in the drop-down menu.
Word 365 Watermark Menu Save Selection to Watermark Gallery
Figure 9. Save Selection to Watermark Gallery option
  1. Type a name for your custom watermark in the Create New Building Block dialog box.
Name text box in the Create New Building Block dialog box in Word 365
Figure 10. Create New Building Block Name text box
  1. Select the OK button.
Create New Building Block OK button in Word 365
Figure 11. OK button
  1. Select Watermark in the Page Background group (see figure 2).
  2. Select Remove Watermark from the drop-down menu.
Remove Watermark option in Word 365
Figure 12. Remove Watermark option
  1. Double-click inside the page where you want to insert the custom watermark. (Note that double-clicking inside the page should close the Header & Footer tab.)
  2. Select Watermark in the Page Background group (see figure 2).
  3. Right-click your custom watermark in the drop-down menu, and then select Insert at Current Document Position from the shortcut menu.
Watermark menu "Insert at Current Document Position" option in Word 365
Figure 13. Insert at Current Document Position option

Your custom watermark should now appear on your chosen page.

Pro Tip: After you save your document, an alert box will ask if you want to save changes to the Building Blocks file. This change is the custom watermark you added to the watermark gallery. Select Save if you want to reuse your custom watermark in other documents.

Building Blocks alert box in Word 365
Figure 14. Building Blocks alert box

Related Resources

How to Change Page Orientation in Microsoft Word

How to Create a Cover Page in Microsoft Word

How to Insert Headers and Footers in Microsoft Word

Updated March 21, 2023