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To add some extra visual interest to your document, add a background color using the Page Color button. You can also add a watermark.

Add or change the background color

  1. Go to Design > Page Color.

  2. Choose the color you want under Theme Colors or Standard Colors.

    The Page Color options are shown

    • If you don't see the color you want, select More Colors, and then choose a color from the Colors box.

    • To add a gradient, texture, pattern, or picture, select Fill Effects, and then go to Gradient, Texture, Pattern, or Picture and select an option.

Patterns and textures are repeated (or “tiled”) to fill the entire page. If you save your document as a webpage, the textures are saved as JPEG files, and the patterns and gradients are saved as PNG files.

Remove the background color

  1. Go to Design > Page Color.

  2. Select No Color.

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You can use gradients, patterns, pictures, solid colors, or textures for backgrounds. Gradients, patterns, pictures, and textures are tiled or repeated to fill the page. If you save a document as a webpage, the pictures, textures, and gradients are saved as JPEG files and the patterns are saved as GIF files.

Add or change the background color

  1. Go to Page Layout > Page Color.

    Office 14 Ribbon

  2. Do any of the following:

    • Select a from Theme Colors or Standard Colors.

    • Select More Colors and then choose a color.

    • Select Fill Effects to add special effects, such as gradients, patterns, or textures.

      Note: Select the color that you want before you apply a gradient or pattern.

Remove a background

  1. Go to Page Layout > Page Color.

    Office 14 Ribbon

  2. Select No Color.

Change the background color

  1. Go to Design > Page Color.

  2. Choose the color you want. If you don't see the color you want, select More Colors and then pick a color from any of the options in the Color box.

    Tips: 

    • To pick a color from a file, select the picture image, click the gear icon, and select New from File.

    • Choose the picture icon to select a color from a file

Remove the background color

  1. Go to Design > Page Color

  2. Select No Color.

Themes let you format a whole document. For more info, see Apply themes

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