How to Add Watermark to PowerPoint Presentation

You may be presenting some confidential information in your PowerPoint slides. You may want to alert the audience that the information is only for internal use. The audience must know that the information is not for general distribution.

Likewise, some information you are sharing may be in draft form. You may want to inform your audience that you have not yet finalized the details. In such a case inserting a draft Watermark will be useful.

In such cases as above, the solution is to add a watermark to your slides. It helps to inform your audience that they must be careful with the data. A watermark is a text or picture embedded in the background of the slide and delivers the warning. You can make the watermark partly transparent. That way, it does not interfere with the content of the slide. Note that watermarks work best in slides containing mostly textual matter.

2 ways to add Watermark to Powerpoint Presentation

  • Add Watermark only on one slide containing text
  • Add Watermark to All slides containing text

If the sensitive information is present in only one slide, you may want to add the watermark there. But it is also possible to add watermarks in all slides with text.

Here, we show you simple steps on how to add a watermark to your slide or slides.

Let us begin.


Method #1: Adding a watermark to a slide.

Step #1: Open the PowerPoint presentation

Open your presentation.

Navigate to the slide where you want to add the watermark. It must contain mostly text.

Step #2: Add a Text Box

On the top menu bar, click on the Insert tab to change the ribbon.

In the section Text, click on Text Box.

The shape of the cursor will change.

Use the mouse to draw a text box near the middle of the slide.

Step #3: Format the watermark

Write your warning inside the text box.

Select the text and change the font and its size as you want.

Use the handle on the text box to rotate the watermark.

Step #4: Change the watermark color and make it transparent

Select the watermark and right-click on it.

In the menu that opens, click on Format Text Effects.

A Format Shape interactive menu opens on the right side.

The menu offers three controls:

  1. Text Fill & Outline — Choice between hollow text or filled, color, and transparency.
  2. Text Effects — Add shadow, reflection, glow, and 3D effects
  3. Textbox — Adjust the position of text within the box, add margins etc.

Make your choice and click anywhere outside the slide to see the effects.

Once the results are satisfactory, close the interactive menu. Click on the X in its top right-hand corner.

PowerPoint will apply your choices.


Method #2: Add watermark to all slides

Step #1: Open the PowerPoint presentation

Open your presentation.

Step #2: Open the Slide Master

In the top menu bar, click on the View tab to change the ribbon.

In the section Master View, click on the Slide Master icon.

Navigate to the topmost slide.

Step #3: Add watermark

Follow all steps in Method #1 starting from Step #2.

Step #4: Close Slide Master

In the section Close, click on the Close Master View button to exit the Slide Master.

The watermark will now appear in all slides with text.


Conclusion

Use our stepwise instructions to easily add a watermark to your slides.

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