Insert a Watermark on Selected Pages in Word

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A Watermark is inserted on all pages by default but sometimes you want it only on selected pages or only on one page. The steps below will accomplish both these tasks. For steps to display a text or image watermark on all pages, see the link to a previous blog for watermarks below.

Example of transparent Word Watermark

Add a Watermark Only to Selected Pages

By default, Word documents are all in the same section (Section 1), regardless of the number of pages you create. This applies the same page layout, margins etc., across the board. If you want different headers or footers, margins or layout for one or more of the pages, the trick is to create section break(s)

Add a watermark only to particular pages by creating a section break. You can then apply a watermark only to that section. Sections are linked by default so you need to unlink them, before inserting the watermark or sections will automatically copy each other.

Place the cursor on the page (after the section break) where you want the watermark to appear:*

  • On the Design tab, in the Page Background group, choose Watermark

Insert Watermark from Word Ribbon

  • Select a watermark from the displayed gallery or create a custom watermark (covered in previous blog, link below).

Add a Section Break

There are several choices when creating a section break but they are all located in the same drop down list:

  • Click the Layout tab, and in the Page Setup group, choose Breaks.
  • Choose the type of section break you want:

Word Section Break Options from Micosoft

If you are not familiar with the details of section breaks, they can vary with the different versions of Word. See this Microsoft web page for excellent steps for each:  Microsoft support for section breaks in Word

Add a watermark to a single page

You can add an image or a text watermark such as Confidential to a single page in a document:

  • Place your cursor on the page that needs the watermark.
  • On the Design tab, in the Page Background group, choose Watermark.
  • Right-click on any watermark in the watermark gallery and choose, Insert at current document position.

The selected watermark is inserted only on a single page.

Remove a Watermark

  • Click on the Watermark icon (Design tab | Page Background group).
  • Click Remove Background.

It is done!

NOTE:  If you are in the Watermark dialog box, you can remove the watermark by clicking in No Watermark at the top.

For the basics of inserting custom watermarks, see this previous post:  https://gaylelarson.com/insert-watermark-in-word/

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6 thoughts on “Insert a Watermark on Selected Pages in Word

    1. You are welcome! Sorry for the slow response. Everything should work the same in Word 365 (or 2019). There also may be additional watermark features as they are added on a regular basis. Here is a Microsoft page with links to types of watermarks in the newest versions of Word. Have fun!
      MS Word Watermarks

  1. You cannot right-click and select “Insert at current document position” if you want to insert an image. Is there a way to insert an image watermark to only one page/section?

    1. Hi there…I agree this is not very intuitive when your watermark is an image that you want on only one section or page. Here’s a couple of workarounds, depending on how many pages you have to edit. Images, unlike text watermarks, live in the Header area of your document so you can control from there but here is an easy fix if you have a multi-page document. Choose the image you want for that page’s watermark; copy and paste it into the page/location you want it. Size it and click the Alignment icon to right of the picture and put it behind the text. Yatzee! You have a quick watermark. The other method is to insert your watermark as usual and close that dialog box. Double click in the header area in any page where you don’t want the watermark. click on the watermark and press Delete key. You can then scroll up or down and do the same on all other pages that contain the unwanted watermark so only the intended one remains.

      Let me know if this does the trick for you, and Happy New Year!

    1. Hi Anonymous…For a single page watermark that is not a text watermark included in the Watermark dialog box, you would create a Page Break at top and bottom of the page where you want it to appear. If you only have a single page, you can just insert the text or picture without any breaks as shown above or click the link to my first Watermark blog post that is at the bottom of this post. Hope that helps!

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