by Do you still think that you can't add a watermark to your Excel worksheet? I have to say that you are all abroad. You can mimic watermarks in Excel 2019, 2016, and 2013 using the HEADER & FOOTER TOOLS. Do you wonder HOW? Read the article below!
It often happens that you need to add a watermark to your Excel document. The reasons can be different. One of them is just for fun, as I've done for my work timetable. :)
I've added an image as a watermark to my timetable. But most commonly you can come across the documents labelled with such text watermarks as "Confidential", "Draft", "Restricted", "Sample", "Secret", etc. They help to underscore the status of your document.
Unfortunately, Microsoft Excel 2016-2010 doesn't have a built-in feature to insert watermarks in worksheets. However, there is a tricky method that allows you to mimic watermarks in Excel using the HEADER & FOOTER TOOLS and I'm going to share it with you in this article.
Create a watermark image
The first thing you need to do is to create a watermark image that will later appear on the background of your worksheet. You can do it in any drawing program (for example, in Microsoft Paint). But for simplicity, I've created an image right in a blank Excel worksheet using the WordArt option.
If you are curious how I've done it, see detailed instructions below.
- Open a blank worksheet in Excel.
- Switch to Page Layout view (go to VIEW - > Page Layout in the Ribbon or click the "Page Layout view" button on the Status bar at the bottom of your Excel window).
- Click the WordArt icon in the Text group on the INSERT tab.
- Select the style.
- Type the text that you want to use for the watermark.
Your watermark image is almost ready, you just need to resize and rotate it to make it look good. What are the next steps?
- Make the background of your WordArt object clear, i.e. untick the Gridlines check box in the Show group on the VIEW tab
- Click on the image twice to select it
- Right-click once and choose "Copy" from the menu
- Open MS Paint (or the drawing program you prefer)
- Paste the copied object into the drawing program
- Press the Crop button to get rid of extra space from your image
- Save your watermark image as either a PNG or GIF file
Now you are set for inserting the created and saved image into the header as described below.
Add a watermark to the header
Once you've created your watermark image, the next step is to add the watermark to your worksheet header. Whatever you put in your worksheet header will automatically print out on every page.
- Click on the INSERT tab in the Ribbon
- Go to the Text section and click on the Header & Footer icon
Your worksheet automatically switches to the Page Layout view and a new HEADER & FOOTER TOOLS tab appears in the Ribbon.
- Click on the Picture icon to open the Insert Pictures dialog box
- Browse for an image file on your computer or use Office.com Clip Art or Bing Image, which you want to have as a watermark in your Excel sheet.
- When you've found the desired image, select it and press the Insert button
The text &[Picture] now appears in the header box. This text indicates that the header contains a picture.
You still don't see a watermark in your worksheet. Take it easy! :) Just click within any cell out of the header box to see what the watermark looks like.
Now when you click on another page in your worksheet, the watermark will be automatically added to that page as well.
REMEMBER that watermarks are visible only in Page Layout view, in the Print Preview window and on the printed worksheet. You cannot see watermarks in the Normal view, which most people use when they work in Excel 2010, 2013 and 2016.
Format your watermark
After you add your watermark image you'll likely be keen to resize or reposition it. You can also remove it if you've had enough of it.
Reposition a watermark
It is a common thing that the added image turns out to be at the top of the worksheet. Don't worry! You can easily move it down:
- Go to the header section box
- Place your cursor in front of &[Picture]
- Press the Enter button once or several times to get the watermark centered on the page
You may experiment a bit to achieve the desirable position for the watermark.
Resize a watermark
- Go to INSERT - > Header & Footer again.
- Choose the Format Picture option in the Header & Footer Elements group.
- To change the size or scale of your picture, click the Size tab in the open window.
- Choose the Picture tab in the dialog box to make color, brightness or contrast changes.
I recommend using the Washout feature from the dropdown menu under Image Control as it makes the watermark fade out and it becomes easier for users to read the content of the worksheet.
Remove a watermark
- Click on the header section box
- Highlight the text or the picture marker &[Picture]
- Press the Delete button
- Click on any cell outside the header to save your changes
So now you're aware of this tricky method for adding a watermark to a worksheet in Excel 2016 and 2013. It's high time to create your own watermarks that will strike everybody's eye!
Use a special add-in to insert watermark in Excel in one click
If you don't want to follow numerous mimicking steps, try the Watermark for Excel add-in by Ablebits. With its help you can insert a watermark to your Excel document in one click. Use the tool to add text or picture watermarks, store them in one place, rename and edit. It's also possible to see the status in the preview section before adding to Excel and remove a watermark from the document, if necessary.
56 comments
The tip on repositioning the watermark did not work for me.
I found right hand columns being moved to a second page.
Vey helpful. Thanks so much. One thing though, is it possible to rotate the picture watermark? The rotation is inactive?
Hi,
Thanks for the info. I did till make the image in centre of the sheet. But i only see it when i double click on header part ( that too only &[picture]). But when i try to print ( in print priview )i dont see actual text/image on the sheet ( neither foreground not background ). Could you please help me ..
hi,
when i insert watermark then he is tiled, how can centered watermark in excel
Thankyou very much. It was very helpful.
Actually in MS Excel 2010 under Page Layout, then Print Titles, then the Options button, from there on the Effects tab it shows the option to add a watermark however, it just does not seem to add it after you select it and click ok.
However, I like the alternative of using the WordArt - Good Idea!
Thanks
In Excel 2013, I am using a picture watermark and colored background. However, I am unable to type in the area where the watermark appears. Any suggestions?
Hi,
It is very useful but watermarks does not automatically added to other worksheet automatically. How to solve this.
This was very helpful. Thanks a lot :)
Hi, Its Cool. I have done almost but still cant change the degree (rotation in diagonal direction), kindly assist.
Hello, I am also having this problem. Has anyone else figured how to rotate the watermark once it is inserted into the document as a header/footer?
Rotate the watermark before you insert it. I rotated it first then saved it as a png image.
this worked perfectly. i did have to play with the formatting to make it center but it was very helpful - thank you for the new trick.
after adding the watermark to the Excel Sheet, when I select a row or column, or search for text, no there is no gray highlighting like usual. What did I do wrong?
Thank you very much!!!
Hi Jason,
how do I put watermark behind the text?
thank you!
Hi Jason,
Please don't worry, the picture is implemented into the file, so the recipient doesn't need the same file access. The watermark will show in any case.
I'm looking for a watermark on an excel spreadsheet which I can then e-mail out to people. These people may not have the same file access to this &[Picture]. I assume this means the watermark will not show up.
Anyone have a cure for what ails me?
After I have clicked on the Header and Footer tab, all my other functions in the ribbon grey out and I cant click on the Insert tab at all.
How do I get the ribbon to "unlock"
Hello Loren,
Just click on any cell out of the header box or press Esc on your keyboard to make other Excel commands available again. The point is that when the cursor is placed in the header box, HEADER & FOOTER TOOLS appear in the Ribbon and all other commands get inactive.
Hope this will help.
Thank you, Ekaterina Bespalaya. I like your post. It's really helpful.
THANK YOU...
This was very helpful and refreshing!
Thank you!
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Thanks it helps a lot!