How to Set Background Picture for Microsoft Word

Microsoft Word has become one of the basic requirements in this digital world. Are you bored of the regular text in Word and wish to customize the document a little? How about setting a background picture for Word document? Yes, you can set a background picture for Microsoft Word. This article focuses on the methods to set a picture as background for either a page or for the entire document. Additionally, you will learn the answer to the question of how to insert picture as background in Word.

How to Set Background Picture for Microsoft Word

How to Set Background Picture for Microsoft Word

Below we have shown how to set background picture for Microsoft Word for entire document and single page.

Method 1: Set Background for Entire Document

Using the methods described in this section, you can set a background picture for Word document. The options let you set the same background for the entire word document.

Option I: Use Page Color Button

This option lets you set the picture as a Background for your entire Word document using the Page Color button.

1. Hit the Windows key, type word, and click on Open.

open Microsoft word from windows search bar

2. Go to the Design tab in the Ribbon and click on the Page Color button in the Page Background section.

go to design tab and select Page Color option in MS Word

3. Select the option Fill Effects… in the menu displayed.

select Fill effects option in Page Color dropdown menu on MS Word

4. In the Fill Effects window, navigate to the Picture tab and click on the Select Picture… button.

select Picture in Picture tab in Fill Effects window on MS Word

5. Click on the Browse option next to From a file tab in the Insert Pictures window.

Note: You can also search for online pictures using the Bing Image Search or select the picture from your OneDrive.

click on Browse to insert pictures in MS Word

6. Browse for the file in the next window, select it and click on the Insert button. You will see the picture inserted as a background for the document.

insert a picture in MS Word

Option II: Use Watermark Button

You can set the picture as the background using the Watermark button. This button will treat your picture as a Watermark for the entire document.

1. Press the Windows key, type word, and click on Open.

open Microsoft word from windows search bar

2. Navigate to the Design tab in the Ribbon and click on the Watermark button in the Page Background section.

select Watermark option in Design tab on MS Word

3. Select the Custom Watermark… option in the menu available.

select Custom Watermark in MS Word Watermark dropdown menu

4. In the Printed Watermark window, select the option Picture watermark and click on the Select Picture… button.

Note 1: You can set the scale of the picture using the drop-down menu in the Scale setting.

Note 2: If you wish to have a more transparent Background image, you can select the Washout option in the window.

select Picture Watermark in MS Word

5. Click on the Browse option next to From a file tab in the Insert Pictures window.

Note: You can also search for online pictures using the Bing Image Search or select the picture from your OneDrive.

click on Browse to insert pictures in MS Word

6. Browse for the image in the Insert Picture window, select the picture and click on the Insert button.

insert a picture in MS Word

7. Click on the Apply and then OK buttons to set the image as your background.

click on Apply then OK to Select Picture

Also Read: How to Add Table of Contents in Google Docs

Method 2: Set Background for Single Page

If you don’t like to have a uniform background picture for Word document, you can use the methods in this section. The options described in this method have the added advantage of customizing the background for individual pages. You can also have varying backgrounds on the same page. Also, you can resize the background-size manually, unlike the previous method, which has size restrictions.

Option I: Insert Picture

You can manually insert a picture on a page and make the text overlay the picture. This way the inserted picture will be treated as Background.

1. Open Microsoft Word from the Windows Search bar.

open Microsoft word from windows search bar

2. Go to the Insert tab on the Ribbon and click on the Pictures button.

click on insert tab and select Pictures option in MS Word

3. Browse for the picture in the Insert Picture window, select it and click on the Insert button to insert the picture on the page.

Note 1: You can browse for the picture in Windows Explorer, select it, and drag and drop it to the document manually to insert the image.

Note 2: You can browse for the picture in Windows Explorer manually, select it, copy it using the keys Ctrl+ C and paste it into the document using the keys Ctrl+ V to insert the image.

insert a picture in MS Word

4. Right-click on the image and move your cursor over the option Wrap Text in the list.

Note: You can manually resize the image by adjusting the corners of the image on the page.

5. Select the option Behind Text in the list available to set the image as background.

right click on picture and select wrap text and click on Behind text on MS Word

Also Read: How to Convert Word to JPEG

Option II: Customize Inserted Shape

You can insert a shape, alter its size and fill using this method. You can set the picture as the fill for the shape boundary and set the shape as the background for your page.

1. Launch Microsoft Word from the Windows Search bar.

open Microsoft word from windows search bar

2. Navigate to the Insert tab in the Ribbon, click on the Shapes button in the Illustrations section and select the Rectangle shape in the list.

click on insert tab and select Shapes option in MS Word

3. Draw a Rectangle covering the entire page of the document manually.

insert rectangle shape in MS Word

4. Select the Rectangle, navigate to the Format tab in the Ribbon, and click on the Shape Fill button in the Shape Styles section.

Note: You can change the settings of the picture such as Brightness in the Format tab.

click on Format tab and click on Shape Fill option in MS Word

5. Select the option Picture… in the list displayed.

select Picture option in Shape Fill dropdown menu on MS Word

6. Click on the Browse button next to the From a file tab in the Insert Pictures window.

click on Browse to insert pictures in MS Word

7. Browse for the picture in the Insert Picture window, click on it and click on the Insert button.

insert a picture in MS Word

8. Right-click on the picture and select the option Wrap Text in the menu.

9. Select the option Behind Text in the list displayed to set the picture as your background.

right click on picture and select wrap text and click on Behind text on MS Word

Frequently asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1. Can we insert a picture as a background for the Word document?

Ans. Yes, you can insert a picture as a background for a page in the Word document. The detailed process is explained in this article.

Q2. How to set the same picture background for the entire Word document?

Ans. You can use the methods described in this article and set a picture as a uniform background for the entire document.

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We hope that you have learned the methods to set background picture for Microsoft Word. Please share your suggestions and queries in the comments section.

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