To change the page background colour in Microsoft Word, open the document, choose Design > Page Color, and select a colour. This Page Color setting applies to the document, so use it when you want the same background on every page. If the page only looks black because Word is in Dark Mode, use the display setting instead.
Change the page background colour
- Open the document in Word and select the Design tab. In Word for the web, the Page Color control may appear under Layout.
- Select Page Color. Choose a Theme Color or Standard Color. For a specific shade, select More Colors.
- Check the text contrast and save the document. A dark background with unchanged dark text can be hard to read.
Microsoft’s Page Color instructions also describe Fill Effects for gradients, textures, patterns, or pictures in supported desktop versions. You do not need a watermark just to change a solid page colour.
Use a gradient, texture, pattern, or picture as the background
- Choose Design > Page Color > Fill Effects in desktop Word.
- Pick a tab: Gradient, Texture, Pattern, or Picture.
- For a photo or logo, select the Picture tab, click Select Picture, and choose an image file.
- Click OK to apply it to every page.
A picture background is repeated (tiled) if it is smaller than the page, so use an image sized for the page. To remove it, choose Design > Page Color > No Color. If you want one faded image behind the text instead, a picture watermark from Design > Watermark > Custom Watermark is usually easier to read over.
Remove the colour or return to white
Choose Design > Page Color > No Color to remove a colour you applied to the document. If you want an explicit white fill, choose white from the palette instead. For a guide focused on removing a background, see how to get rid of background colour in Word.
What if Word’s page is black only on your screen?
A black page may come from Dark Mode rather than a saved page colour. In desktop Word, select View > Switch Modes to show a light page while keeping the dark application theme. Word for the web uses View > Switch Backgrounds. Microsoft says this viewing preference does not determine the printed page or another person’s view. See its Dark Mode guide.
Can you change just one page?
Page Color is a document background setting. Inserting section breaks or selecting text before clicking Page Color does not make it a one-page setting. If you only need colour behind a few words or paragraphs, select them and use Home > Shading instead; Microsoft documents paragraph shading separately. A full-page background on one page needs a different layout technique, such as a page-sized shape, and should be tested in print preview.
Our guide to changing the background color of one page in Word walks through the shape method step by step.
Will the background print?
Do not assume the colour you see on screen will print. On Windows desktop Word, open File > Options > Display and enable Print background colors and images under Printing Options if you want the background printed. On Mac, the equivalent is under Word > Preferences > Print. Check Microsoft’s printing steps and preview a page before printing a long document.
Quick answer
Use Page Color for a document-wide background, No Color to remove it, and Switch Modes when the dark page is only a viewing preference. For selected text or paragraphs, use Shading.
Matt has been writing about Microsoft Windows and other Microsoft products since the days of Windows XP. He spends much of his time writing for sites like WindowBrain.com