To change an existing watermark in desktop Word, open Design > Watermark. Choose another preset or open Custom Watermark to replace its text or picture. If you need to move the mark on the page, open the header and select the watermark there. Save the file and inspect the pages that use different headers or sections.
Change the wording or picture
- Open the document in desktop Word. Save a copy first if you need to keep the original marked version.
- On Windows, choose Design > Watermark. Select a different gallery preset to replace a standard mark. For your own wording or image, choose Custom Watermark.
- Choose Text watermark and enter the new text, or choose Picture watermark > Select Picture for a replacement image. Adjust the available font, color, layout, scale, and washout controls so body text remains readable.
- Confirm the dialog, then inspect several pages in Print Layout and check print preview before distributing the file.
For example, to change a report from DRAFT to REVIEW COPY, open Custom Watermark, choose Text watermark, replace the wording, and check a dense page to make sure the mark is visible without covering the report. A watermark is a visible label; it does not restrict who can open or forward the file.
On a Mac, choose Design > Watermark and use the Insert Watermark dialog to change the text or picture choice. Microsoft shows a separate Mac dialog rather than the Windows preset gallery, so the controls may look different. If you opened the file in Word for the web, use Open in Word to edit it in the desktop app; the web editor can display an existing watermark but cannot change it.
Move or format the existing watermark
- Double-click near the top of a page to open its header.
- Move the pointer over the watermark until you see a four-headed arrow, then click the mark to select it. The watermark is usually in the header even though it appears in the middle of the page.
- Drag the selected object to a new position. In Word for Windows, the tools shown depend on whether it is a text or picture watermark. On a Mac, Microsoft says a text watermark can be moved; for a picture, Control-click it and choose Format Picture.
- Close the header and inspect the result on every section that uses a different header.
Use the Watermark menu when you want to replace the wording or image across the document. Select the header object when the problem is its position or picture formatting. These are two different editing paths.
When the change does not appear everywhere
- The mark will not select: Open the header first and aim for the edge of the watermark until the four-headed pointer appears. A mark inserted on only one page may be a text box at the current document position instead of a repeating header mark.
- Only some pages changed: Check whether the file has multiple sections or different first-page or odd/even headers. Inspect representative pages from each part before sharing.
- You see two marks: A one-page text box and a repeating watermark can coexist. Inspect the page and remove the unwanted object before applying another mark.
- It looks faint or obscures text: Adjust the text color or picture washout and scale, then review a page with dense text and the exported or printed result.
If your goal is to remove a mark entirely, use our watermark removal guide. To add a new mark, including one-page placement, see the watermark setup guide.
Sources
- Microsoft Support: Select a watermark to edit it
- Microsoft Support: Insert a watermark
- Microsoft Support: Insert a watermark on just one page
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