[WORD tips] Add a watermark to all sections at once-Remove a stubborn watermark

Add a watermark to all sections at once

May 1, 2013
My colleague, C, was trying to add a DRAFT watermark to her Word 2007 document. She could add it successfully to the cover page, but as soon as she tried to add it to the even page section or the odd page section, whatever she’d added previously disappeared. This document had several sections, and each section is set for odd/even pages and a different first page for the cover page. Without investigating too closely, I suspected that a combination of odd/even pages, different first page, and Same as previous settings for the headers were at play here. I suggested she start at the end of the document and work her way back to the beginning, but that didn’t work either.
However, I found what did work and that was to set a custom watermark. First, I got C to delete all watermarks she’d just added (otherwise she would get two different watermarks on some pages), then I got her to do this:

1. Go to the Page Layout tab.
2. Click the Watermark button in the Page Background group.
3. Select Custom Watermark (at the bottom of the shortcut menu).
4. Select the Text watermark option.
5. Change the Text field to DRAFT.
6. Click OK.

All sections (odd/even, and first page) had this watermark applied to them at once.
C was very happy and so was I, as it ended up being such a simple solution.
These same instructions apply to Word 2010 and possibly Word 2013.
See also:

• How to delete a stubborn watermark: https://cybertext.wordpress.com/2011/11/16/word-remove-a-stubborn-watermark/
• Word 2003 instructions: https://cybertext.wordpress.com/2008/02/20/add-a-watermark/

[Links last checked April 2013]
https://cybertext.wordpress.com/2013/05/01/word-add-a-watermark-to-all-sections-at-once/
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Remove a stubborn watermark

November 16, 2011

Here’s one I solved for a work colleague…

Problem

Word 2007 document with a stubborn ‘DRAFT’ watermark that won’t budge, despite going to the section and trying to remove it the usual way (Page Layout tab > Watermark > Remove Watermark).

Solution

Watermarks have always been stored as part of the header in Word, so:

1. Double-click inside the section’s header to open it.
2. Move your cursor over some of the letters in the watermark until it turns into a 4-way arrow.
3. Click to select the watermark (you’ll see colored selection handles around the watermark text when it’s selected).
4. Press the Delete key to remove the watermark.
5. Repeat for all other sections that have a stubborn watermark that you can’t remove.

Update February 2013: If the watermark still won’t delete, trying saving the document as XML — see Amy’s instructions in the Comments below (14 Oct 2012).