Excel doesn’t have a dedicated watermark option, we will share a few workarounds so you can watermark your worksheets.
4 Methods of inserting a watermark in a Microsoft Excel Sheet:
- Insert text using the Header option
- Insert an image using the Header option
- Insert text using WordArt
- Insert watermark using the Background option
Let us begin by looking at each of the methods in detail.
Method #1: Insert Text Using the Header Option
Use this method if you want to insert text as a watermark. Please note that this method will watermark all your pages in an Excel sheet.
Step #1: Open your Excel workbook
Step #2: Go to the Insert tab
From the main menu bar, click on the Insert tab.
Step #3: Select Header & Footer
Under the Insert tab, select the Header & Footer icon.
The Header & Footer ribbon will open, and three boxes will appear at the top of your sheet.
Step #4: Pick a box and enter text
Pick any one box out of the three by clicking on it.
For our example, we have selected the middle one.
Enter the text you want to use as a watermark.
For our example, we mark this workbook as DRAFT.
Step #5: Place your watermark
To make the watermark appear further down on the worksheet, place your cursor at the beginning of the text, and press Enter. Continue pressing the Enter key until the text appears in your preferred position.
Step #6: Format your watermark
Select the word by double-clicking on it, or drag your cursor over it.
Click right.
A small formatting toolbar will appear.
Change the font color to a lighter color so that the content on the sheet is still visible. To do that, click on the A with a line underneath it (1 in the image below), and select a light gray for example.
Change the font size to be bigger based on your preference. Click on the numbers to the right of the font type (2 in the image below) and select a bigger number.
In our example, we selected 48.
Step #7: Save your watermark
Click on a random cell in your spreadsheet.
The header box will close, and you should see the watermark in your spreadsheet.
Method #2: Insert an Image Using the Header Option
Use this method if you want to insert an image as a watermark. Please note that this method will watermark all pages in an Excel sheet.
Step #1: Open your Excel workbook
Step #2: Go to the Insert tab
From the main menu bar, click on the Insert tab.
Step #3: Select Header & Footer
Under the Insert tab, select the Header & Footer icon.
The Header & Footer ribbon will open, and three boxes will appear at the top of your sheet.
Step #4: Pick a box and click the Picture option
Pick any one box out of the three by clicking on it.
For our example, we have selected the middle one.
Step #5: Select a picture
Click on the Picture icon in the Header & Footer ribbon.
The Insert Pictures dialog box will open.
You can choose to select an image from a file, or use the image search.
Depending on where your image is located, navigate to where you will find the image, or company logo, you want to use.
Click on the picture.
Click on the Insert button.
Or you can also double-click the name of the picture.
You’ll now see &[Picture] in one of the header boxes.
This confirms that you’ve inserted the picture.
Step #6: Format the watermark
Click on any other cell to see how the watermark looks.
If you don’t like how it looks, you can always format the picture.
Click on the header box in which you have inserted the picture.
Select the Format Picture icon.
A Format Picture dialog box will open.
Here you can resize your image by setting the height and width. Do this either by setting the height and width in the Size and rotate section.
Otherwise, resize it by setting the height and width in the Scale section.
After setting your desired height and width, go to the Picture tab and make the image lighter. This is to ensure that the content is visible.
Under the Image control section, in the Color drop-down, choose an option.
We recommend you to either use the Grayscale or Washout option.
Once you have selected one of these, click the OK button.
Step #7: Confirm your watermark
Click on a random cell and you’ll be able to see the logo.
If you wish to space the watermark better, click again on the header box where the image has been inserted.
Place your cursor before the &[Picture] line.
Keep the cursor at the beginning and hit the Enter key a few times to bring down the image.
Your watermark will now be more centered in the spreadsheet.
Method #3: Insert Text Using WordArt
You can also create a watermark using WordArt. But, unlike the two methods above, it will not carry the watermark forward onto other Excel pages. If you only want to watermark certain pages, use this method.
Step #1: Open your Excel workbook
Step #2: Change the view
From the main menu bar, click on the View tab.
From the View ribbon, select the Page Layout icon.
This will change how your spreadsheet is displayed on your screen.
(If nothing changes, then you are already on the Page Layout view setting.)
Step #3: Select the WordArt icon
From the main menu bar, click on the Insert tab.
In the Text section, click on the skew A icon.
A dropdown menu will open with several different styles.
Pick any one of these that is light, to ensure that your data will remain visible.
Step #4: Format the text
A text window will open where you can insert the text that will become the Watermark.
For our example, we used the word Confidential.
Highlight the text by double-clicking on it. A small formatting toolbox will appear.
Change the font color to a lighter color so that the content on the sheet is still visible. To do that, click on the A with a line underneath it (1 in the image below), and select a light gray for example.
Change the font size to be bigger based on your preference. Click on the numbers to the right of the font type and select a bigger number.
In our example, we selected 54.
You can also rotate the text by clicking the rotate icon on top of the text (2 in the image below).
Step #5: Confirm your watermark
Once done, click anywhere else on your sheet.
Your watermark will look something like the image below.
Method #4: Insert Watermark Using the Background Option
This method is easy to use and you can quickly insert an image watermark. But, know that the image you insert as a background can’t be formatted. Another drawback is that the watermark will not be printed.
Step #1: Open your Excel workbook
Open the Excel app and navigate to your Excel workbook. If you don’t have an existing workbook, click on Blank workbook. This will open a fresh workbook for you.
Step #2: Set View as Page Layout
From the main menu bar, click on the View tab.
Select the Page Layout icon.
This will change how you view the spreadsheet.
Step #3: Go to Page Layout and select Background
From the main menu bar, click on the Page Layout tab. (1 on our image below)
Select the Background icon. (2 in our image below)
Step #4: Insert a background image
The ‘Insert Pictures’ dialog box will open.
You can choose to select an image from a file, or use the image search.
Depending on where your image is located, navigate to where you will find the image, or company logo, you want to use.
Click on the picture.
Click on the Insert button.
Or you can also double-click the name of the picture.
You will now see that your spreadsheet includes a watermark.
