How to change background color in word

To add some extra visual interest to your document, add a background color using the Page Color button. You can also add a watermark.

Add or change the background color

1. Go to Design > Page Color.

2. Choose the color you want under Theme Colors or Standard Colors.

   

   • If you don’t see the color you want, select More Colors, and then choose a color from the Colors box.

   • To add a gradient, texture, pattern, or picture, select Fill Effects, and then go to Gradient, Texture, Pattern, or Picture and select an option.

Patterns and textures are repeated (or “tiled”) to fill the entire page. If you save your document as a webpage, the textures are saved as JPEG files, and the patterns and gradients are saved as PNG files.

Remove the background color

1. Go to Design > Page Color.

2. Select No Color.

You can use gradients, patterns, pictures, solid colors, or textures for backgrounds. Gradients, patterns, pictures, and textures are tiled or repeated to fill the page. If you save a document as a webpage, the pictures, textures, and gradients are saved as JPEG files and the patterns are saved as GIF files.

Add or change the background color

1. Go to Page Layout > Page Color.

   

2. Do any of the following:

   • Select a from Theme Colors or Standard Colors.

   • Select More Colors and then choose a color.

   • Select Fill Effects to add special effects, such as gradients, patterns, or textures.

     Note: Select the color that you want before you apply a gradient or pattern.

Remove a background

1. Go to Page Layout > Page Color.

   

2. Select No Color.

Change the background color

1. Go to Design > Page Color.

2. Choose the color you want. If you don’t see the color you want, select More Colors and then pick a color from any of the options in the Color box.

   Tips: 

   • To pick a color from a file, select the picture image, click the gear icon, and select New from File.

   • 

Remove the background color

1. Go to Design > Page Color

2. Select No Color.

Now, you have two basic options to add color to your Word documents.

2 Methods to Change Background Color in Microsoft Word

• Using the Default Standard or Theme Colors. 
• Using a Custom Color You can Choose from a Spectrum.

This guide walks you through both these methods. It also covers using gradients, textures, patterns, and pictures as backgrounds.

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Method 1: Using the Default Standard or Theme Colors. 

If you don’t have a particular color in mind, you can conveniently choose from two sets of colors provided in MS Word. These are the Standard Colors and the Theme Colors. 

Here’s how they work. 

Step 1: Open up your MS Word file. 

Step 2: Go to the Design Tab. 

Go ahead and click on the Design tab. The design options should now appear.

Step 3: Open the Page Color Menu. 

Now that you’re on the Design tab, turn your attention to the right side of your screen. Tap on Page Color. That will open a drop-down menu of options you can choose from. 

The grid of colors are Theme Colors.

These change as the document theme changes. The row of colors below the grid are Standard Colors.

You can find more standard colors if you click on More Colors.

Go ahead and pick a color. 

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Method 2: Using a Custom Color You can Choose from a Spectrum. 

You now know how to change the background color of your Word file. But what if none of the standard colors are to your liking? That’s perfectly alright. With this method, you have free reign to choose your background color from a spectrum. 

Here’s how you can change your background to a custom color.

Step 1: Open up your MS Word file. 

Step 2: Go to the Design Tab.

Go ahead and click on the Design tab. The design options should now appear.

Step 3: Open the Page Color Menu. 

Now that you’re on the Design tab, turn your attention to the right side of your screen. Tap on Page Color. That will open a drop-down menu of options you can choose from. Click on More Colors.

Step 4: Choose a Custom Color

In the More Colors window, there are two tabs. Click on the Custom tab. You should be able to see a box of colors, and a bar to its right. Click and drag inside the box to get your desired hue and saturation. Now look to the bar. Moving the slider up and down adjusts the brightness of your color. 

Also, notice that box on the bottom labeled Hex. Hex is a system of codes that represent colors in the RGB format. One code represents one color. This allows you to easily replicate any custom color you have used before. All you have to do is type in the color code into the box. In this illustration, the Hex code is #1F717F. 

Once you’re satisfied with the color you’ve chosen, click OK to apply it to your background. 

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Other Backgrounds 

Aside from solid colors, MS Word also has other options you can use to change your background. You can put a gradient, texture, pattern or picture as the background of your document.

To get started on any of these other backgrounds, first go to your Design tab. Open the Page Color menu and click on Fill Effects.

Gradient Background

A gradient is a gradual and smooth blending from one color to another. For MS Word, you can make a gradient out of any two colors.

Start with opening up the Fill Effects window, and click on the Gradient tab.

To get your gradient, there are two settings you need to configure. These are the Colors and Shading Styles. Let’s go through each of them. 

For your Colors, you can choose between One Color, Two Colors, or a Preset combination of colors. A gradient blends at least two colors. If you choose One Color, your color will blend with its own brightness.

To make it darker, move the slider to the left. Inversely, move the slider to the right to make it lighter.

Shading Style changes the direction your colors blend. Your options are Horizontal, Vertical, Diagonal Up, Diagonal Down, From Corner or From Center.

Find the one that works best for you.

Variants are four combinations made from your choice of colors and shading style. Go ahead and select your gradient.

The small sample box allows you to verify your choice before you apply it to your background.

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Textured Background

This option allows you to have a texture as the background of your document. This allows for more complex colors and shapes. There are default options you can choose from, but you also have the option to upload an image of the texture you want to use. 

First, bring up the Fill Effects window, then go on the Texture tab.

Select a texture you prefer from the given choices. If none of them work for you, click on Other Textures to upload your own preferred texture.

Be mindful of the image size. Images that are too large won’t be uploaded. 

You’ve successfully applied a texture to your background!

Patterned Background

Sometimes, a good patterned background is all you need. Thankfully, MS Word gives you a lot to choose from!  Let’s open up the Fill Effects window to get started, then go to the Pattern tab.

To make your pattern, you need to configure three settings. The Pattern refers to the repetitive design itself.

The Foreground changes the color of the design. The Background is the color behind the design. Fool around with these three settings and see the changes in real-time on the Sample box on the bottom right. 

Once you’re satisfied with your pattern, click OK to apply it to your background.

Picture Background

You can use any picture as a background for your document, however, the options to manipulate the picture are limited. You have to make sure that the picture you upload is the same size as your document page to have the right fit.

If your document is in letter size (8.5” x 11”), then make sure that the picture you upload is also in letter size. 

Let’s get to it. Open up the Fill Effects window, and click on Picture. Click on Select Picture to browse your device. Upload the picture you want to use and verify that it’s the correct picture. If everything is set, click OK to apply the picture to your background.

Shape your Background

All the methods explored in this guide, so far, all apply directly to the entire document. Do you want to be able to control where you put a pattern, texture, color or picture? Do you want to have the flexibility to give every page a different background? If you do, then this is the guide for you.

Shape your background by inserting shapes onto your page. Everything covered above can be applied to individual shapes. Let us show you how.

Add your Shapes and Lay them Out on the Page

The first thing you want to do is insert all the shapes you’ll need. To do that, go to the Insert tab on the Ribbon. Once that’s open, click on Shapes, and choose the shape you want to use.

To make a shape, click and drag your mouse. It doesn’t have to be perfect on the first go. You can change the dimensions of your shape anytime.

Also, don’t fret if you already have texts on the page that are being covered by the shapes. We will address that next.

Wrap Text

This is an important step. Doing this will ensure that the shapes stay in their place behind the text. Take note that you do this step for every shape on your page. 

Start by selecting a shape. Once you do, a new tab appears on the Ribbon. Click on Drawing Tools Format. Look for Wrap Text and click on it to open the drop-down menu. Select Behind Text. This moves the shape behind any texts on your page. It also keeps them in place regardless of what else you type. 

Repeat this step for every shape on the page. 

Decorate your Shapes

This is where you apply everything you’ve learned thus far, Solid Colors, Gradients, Textures, Patterns and Pictures. There are minor changes, but the steps are mostly the same.

Start by selecting a shape. Go to the Drawing Tools Format. Look for the portion of the ribbon that’s labeled Shape Styles. There should be a small symbol on the lower right corner that looks like two ends of an arrow. Click it to open the Format Shapes menu. Once you have that opened, you can decorate any shape as you please. 

Remove the Background Color

If, after trying all these backgrounds, you decide to go back to the default, white, background color. Don’t worry. This is, by far, the easiest guide here, and you’ll have that clean background again in no time!

First, go to your Design tab. Click on Page Color to open up the colors menu, and click on No Color. 

And you’re done! You’ve successfully removed all designs from your background and are back to your default white!

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Conclusion

You have finally arrived at the end of this guide. We hope that we’ve helped you learn how to add some color and design to your MS Word document. 

We hope you found this article helpful!

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Microsoft Word is a famous platform used to create and design documents. People around the world use Word to create resumes, contracts, reports, assignments, and other professional or unprofessional documents. This digital way of presenting and viewing documents is also a time-saving and faster method than writing down on paper. It also has myriad features for its users like font size, type, adding pictures to the documents, inserting tables, and graphics. Not just that, but you can also change background color in Microsoft Word. If you are someone looking for tips about the same, we are bringing you a helpful guide that will teach you how to change background color in Word.

Adding background color to a Word document brings about a lot of change in it and adds detail to it. Other than that, there are other benefits too that explain how it can be helpful if you add some color to your documents. 

• Adding background color the document more unique and enhanced if you are looking to make one for creative purposes.
• It is also great for creating a flyer or a brochure for marketing purposes.
• You can also add background color to a specific paragraph to emphasize the importance of the subject.
• The feature of adding background color is also an asset for creative writing on the Word document.
• You can change the background of your page on the document as per your wish. Changing the background color is available on all the versions of Microsoft Word.

Let us now explore the methods that will tell you how to change background color in Word on one page.

Method 1: Change Background Color from Page Layout

The background color of the Word document can be virtually any color that you want, be it light or dark. If you are looking for how to change background color in Word on one page, then here are some easy steps that will guide you on your way.

Note: The following steps are performed in Word 2010.

1. Open the Word document you want to add color to.

2. Click on Page Layout, as shown.

3. Click on Page Color to show a board of different colors.

4. Choose a color from Theme Colors or Standard Colors.

5. If you want to add more colors, click on the More Colors option.

6. Select desired color from the board that pops up and click OK.

7. If you want to change the color or remove it, click on No Color.

Also Read: How to Replace Color in GIMP

Method 2: Use Standard Color Theme

If you are struggling with ideas and have no idea of what background color you want for your document, you don’t need to worry because the standard set theme of colors on Word can help you in picking the best as per your document. To change background color in Microsoft Word is now extremely easy with the default colors. So, to set them as per your preference, follow the upcoming steps.

1. Open the Word document and click on Page Layout.

2. Click on Colors from the top left corner of the page.

3. A menu of Built-In colors will open up.

4. Choose a theme of your choice to add to the document.

Method 3: Create Custom Color Theme

To add a touch of customization to your document and bring some color & warmth to the file, the custom color theme from the spectrum is the best. If you are wondering how to change background color in Word, then you can follow the steps exactly how they are mentioned below and make your file colorful.

1. Click on Page Layout from the desired Word document.

2. Click on the Colors tab from the top left corner of the page, as shown.

3. Click on Create New Theme Colors option from the Built-In menu, as depicted below.

4. From the Create New Theme Colors window, click on the drop-down menu for the desired color.

5. Enter your custom Name and click Save.

Also Read: How to Change Highlight Color in Adobe Acrobat Reader

Method 4: Highlight Text with Color

Along with changing the background color, Word also allows the users to highlight the text. Highlighting the text helps in bringing the limelight to the subject and makes it stand out from the rest. Hence, if you are writing something important in your document or adding a note, highlighting the text is going to be handy for you. You can emphasize the text using color with the following stated steps.

1. Open the desired Word document.

2. Click on the Home tab > Text Highlight Color icon.

3A. From the Color menu, select the desired color to highlight the text in your document.

3B. Click on No Color if you want to change or remove the highlighted color.

Method 5: Add Gradient Colors

If you want to add more than color to the background of your document, Word gives you other background options too. The gradient is one of the features provided by Word, which you can add to your file in the form of colors and shading styles. If you want to know how to change background color in Word on one page using the gradient, the below-mentioned steps are your clues.

1. In the Word document, click on Page Layout > Page Color.

2. Click on Fill Effects…, as shown.

3. In the Gradient tab, select any one option of the following:

• One color
• Two colors
• Preset

4. Select Color 1 and Color 2, if you have selected the Two colors option.

5. Choose Shading styles and click OK.

Also Read: 27 Best Alternatives to Microsoft Word

Method 6: Create Textured Background

The textured background is another way to make your Word document appealing. Texture allows users to add more complex colors and shapes to enhance a file. To know how to change background color in Word in texture form, look at the step-by-step instructions mentioned below.

1. Click on Page Layout in the desired Word document.

2. Click the Page Color option, as shown below.

3. Click on Fill effects.

4A. Click on the Texture tab and choose a preferred texture. Then, click OK.

4B. If you want more options, click on Other Texture.

5. Add the preferred picture of a suitable size to the document and click Insert. the desired picture will get added as the background in the target Word document.

Method 7: Create Patterned Background

The pattern feature of Word is another way to add foreground and background color to the document. From dots and waves to a grid theme, a pattern background is all you need. The steps below will help you add this background to your document.

1. Open the desired Word document on your PC.

2. Click the Page Layout > Page Color options, as highlighted below.

3. Click on Fill Effects from the Page Color drop-down menu.

4. Click on the Pattern tab and choose a suitable color for Foreground and Background, as shown.

5. Click OK to apply changes.

Also Read: How to Insert a Line in Word

Method 8: Set Picture as Background

If you are looking for another way to know how to change background color in Word, you can do it by using the picture in the background feature in fill effects. You can add any picture to your document. The only thing you need to care about is the picture size, which needs to be compatible with the letter size of the document. Check out the steps mentioned below to know how you can add a picture to the file.

1. Click on Page Layout> Page Color in the Word document.

2. Open Fill Effects in Page Color.

3. Click on the Picture tab > Select Picture to choose a suitable picture from your system.

4. Upload the desired picture and click OK.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1. Can I have a different background color for each page in my Word document?

Ans. Yes, the background color can be changed for each page in a Word document. To do so, you would need to pick a different style or color from Page Color in Word. You can choose a standard color theme or make your custom theme for the file.

Q2. Can I choose a different background for each page in Word?

Ans. Yes, you can have a different background for each page in a Word document. In the page color option, you can choose to fill effects, which allows you to choose gradient, pattern, picture, or texture options to add to the Word file.

Q3. How can I change the color of a single page in Word?

Ans. If you want to add color to only a single page in your document, you can do so by adding a page-size rectangle shape and then filling the color of your choice in the shape on the page you want to add color to.

Q4. Can I change the background color on Word if I don’t want it anymore?

Ans. Yes, you can remove or change the color of the background page in a file. This can be done by opening the page color tab and then choosing the no color option to set everything back to normal.

Q5. Can I print the background color too?

Ans. Yes, you can print the color that you have set on the background of a document. To get the background color, you would need to use a color printer.

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We hope that this guide was helpful and you were able to know how to change background color in Word. Let us know which method of adding color to the background of your document was your favorite. If you have any queries or suggestions regarding the same, feel free to drop them in the comments section below.

Changing the Word document background color can add to its readability, and make it look aesthetically pleasing. Microsoft Word is full of useful features that allow us to enhance our documents by allowing custom background colors.

Knowing how to change page color in a Word document is an essential skill in today’s world. It can help you stand out from the competition and give a professional look to any document. In this article, we will discuss how to change background color in Word quickly and effectively. Let’s roll!

How to Change Background Color in Word

Adding a Word document background color or changing the Microsoft word background is easy. Follow the tutorials below to give a fresh look to your doc page background below.

Windows:

1. Open your Word document to get started.
2. Click “Design” on the top dashboard and find the “Page Background” section on the right.
3. Choose “Page Color” and pick up your wanted one from the default “Theme Colors” or “Standard Colors”.
4. Still, you can find your preferred color in the “More Colors” by clicking or searching for the color with color RGB or HSL codes in the color palette.
5. Moreover, there are effect selections for you in the “Fill Effects”, where you can make the Microsoft Word background color gradient, add textures, or change the patterns as needed.

Mac:

1. Open your Word file to get started.
2. Click the “Design” tab on the top toolbar and choose “Page Color” to find the color you like to set as the Word document background color.
3. You can also find your target color by clicking “More Colors” and choosing from the color box.

How to Remove Background Color in Word

Sometimes, you can make your Microsoft Word page clean to improve the visual effect if there is an annoying background color in your Word document page. Check the following tutorials to see how to remove the Background color in Microsoft Word color.

Windows:

1. Open the Word document that you want to remove the background color.
2. Click the top “Design” tab and choose “Page Background”.
3. Choose “No Color” to remove the Microsoft Word background color.

Mac:

1. Open your doc in Word
2. Click “Design” on the top of the menu bar
3. Select “Page Color” > “No Color” to remove the background color in Word.

Bonus: How to Change Background Color Online

Sometimes, you will need help with changing or removing the background color of Word documents. In your life, you also change the background color of your selfies or photos. Whether you want to change the background color of a picture or remove the background color, Fotor’s background remover can meet all your needs.

Change the background color

1. Go to Design > Page Color.
2. Choose the color you want. If you don’t see the color you want, select More Colors and then pick a color from any of the options in the Color box. Tips: To pick a color from a file, select the picture image, click the gear icon, and select New from File.

How do I change the background color in Word 2021?

Change Word Document Background Color
Open any document that you want to add a background color to. Then at the top click the Design tab. Next, head over to the “Page Background” section on the ribbon right and click on Page Color. That will open a dropdown menu of different colors you can choose from.

Can you change the background of a Word document?

Change the Background Color of a Word Document
Open the Word document in which you want to change the background color. Go to the Design tab.Select Page Color to display a list of color options available as background tints. Select the color you want from Standard Colors or Theme Colors.

How do I change the background color in Word 2016?

Word 2016: How to Set Background

1. Select the “Design” tab.
2. In the “Page Background” area, select “Page Color“.
3. Choose a desired color.

Why is my Microsoft Word background black?

Do you know what is going on? This is the new Dark Mode in Office. If you have enabled the Black Office theme, you will have a Switch Modes button on the View tab of the Ribbon. For more, see https://insider.office.com/it-it/blog/try-dark-mode-in-word.

How do I change the highlight color in Word?

Right-click on the text and click the Text Highlight Color drop-down button. Select the color that you prefer from the drop-down menu. There you have it! You’ve just used the Context Menu to change highlight color in Word.

How do you change the background color on Microsoft Word 2007?

Open your word document and choose Page Layout on the Ribbon, then select page color to select the background color you want. The nice thing about Word 2007 is you just need to hover the mouse over each color to see a preview of how it will look in the document. Select the background color you want and you are done.

How do you make something black and white on Microsoft Word?

Go to File > Options > General > Personalize your copy of Microsoft Office and select the Disable dark checkbox to always keep the page color white in Office Black Theme.

How do I change my black background to white?

Open your device’s Settings app . Tap Accessibility. Under Display, tap Color inversion. Turn on Use color inversion.

How do I change to Light Mode in Word?

Switch to Light Mode from Account Settings
In the Word Backstage view, select ‘Account’ on the left panel. On the Account page, click or tap the ‘Office Theme’ drop-down list and choose the theme you want: Black, Dark Gray, Colorful, or White. Since we want light mode, we’re selecting the ‘White’ theme here.

How do I change dark mode in Word?

Turning on Dark Mode in Microsoft Word

1. Open Word.
2. Select File.
3. Find and Click Account.
4. Select Office Theme Dropdown.
5. Press Dark.

How do you remove background color in Word 2010?

How to Remove Background Color in Word 2010

1. Click the Page Layout tab.
2. Click the Page Color button.
3. Select the No Color option.

Why is there a blue background in Word?

Don’t panic. Believe it or not, I think you’ve actually found a feature of Microsoft Word, not some sort of bug in your documents or computer. For legibility sake, Word allows you to specify white text on a blue background in addition to the more common black text against a white background.

How do I change the background color of one page in Word?

To do this, go to the Page Layout ribbon tab and choose Page Color.
Add a background colour to Word on just one single page

1. Go to Insert.
2. Choose Shapes.
3. Choose a square to insert. Extend it to the full page and give it its colour properties as you wish.

Why is my Word document highlighted yellow?

Some of the documents you will find on the University Human Resources website contain yellow highlighting around areas we want to draw your attention to when you fill out the form.When Track Changes has been turned on in the document you will see your changes in RED until you accept the changes.

How do I change the opacity of highlights in Word?

On the Picture Format ribbon, open the Format Picture pane and set the transparency to 45% (you can experiment with the percentage). Drag the picture to the desired location and size.

How do I change the highlight color in Windows 10?

To Change Highlighted Text Color in Windows 10,

1. Open the Registry Editor app.
2. HKEY_CURRENT_USERControl PanelColors.
3. See the string value HilightText.
4. To find a suitable value, open Microsoft Paint and click on the Edit color button.
5. In the color dialog, select the desired color using the provided controls.

How do I change the background color in Word 2019?

Add or change the background color

1. Go to Design > Page Color.
2. Choose the color you want under Theme Colors or Standard Colors. If you don’t see the color you want, select More Colors, and then choose a color from the Colors box.

How do you change the background on Microsoft Word 2013?

Step 1: Open your document in Word 2013. Step 2: Click the Design tab at the top of the window. Step 3: Click the Page Color button in the Page Background section at the right side of the navigational ribbon. Step 4: Select the color that you want to use for your page background.

How do you change the theme on Microsoft Word?

To change the Office theme click on the menu for your Office application (Word, Excel, etc) and select Preferences > General. Under the Personalize section you can configure your theme.

The default white background color for Microsoft Word documents provides the best level of contrast for most people. Unfortunately, it also has the tendency to blind you if you’re doing some late-night text editing. In such situations, knowing how to change background color in Word or insert a custom image can be very useful.

If you work in marketing or are creating a brochure, a Word background image can do a lot of the heavy lifting visually. Though they can risk looking tacky, a well thought out, subtle background image texture can bring a document to the next level.

That said, you should bear in mind that when you add a color or background for a Word document it will apply globally. That is, every page will have the same color or design. As a result, you may want to check that it doesn’t clash with the position or colors of any of your text before you proceed. Let’s get started:

How to Add a Word Background Image

How to Add a Backrgound Image Texture in Word

If you enjoyed customizing your Microsoft Word, you may want to try our Windows 10 screensaver tutorial. If you don’t own Word, or need to open a .doc file on the go, read our alternatives guide.