Skip to content
Home » How to Insert a Watermark in Excel

How to Insert a Watermark in Excel

    In this video tutorial I explain how to add a watermark in Excel.

    5 FREE EXCEL TEMPLATES
    Plus Get 30% off any Purchase in the Simple Sheets Catalogue!

    How to Create a Text Watermark

    1. The first step is to switch over to the Page Layout view.  Do this on the Ribbon’s View tab
    2. Now click where it says “Add Header” at the top of the worksheet
    3. Write your watermark text in the header
    4. Format the text colour and increase the font-size ( I went for light grey and a font-size of 100).  You can also change the font if you like, I chose Abadi and made the text bold. All of this is down to personal preference
    5. Now click in front of the header text and press ENTER on your keyboard until the header text moves down to where you would like it to appear in the background of the page
    6. Click into any cell in your worksheet to come out of the header
    7. Check how the watermark will look on the printed page by using print preview: to get to print preview click on the Ribbon’s File tab and then select Print

    5 FREE EXCEL TEMPLATES
    Plus Get 30% off any Purchase in the Simple Sheets Catalogue!

    How to Create a Watermark Using an Image

    1. The first step is to switch over to the Page Layout view.  Do this on the Ribbon’s View tab
    2. Now click where it says “Add Header” at the top of the worksheet
    3. Select the Ribbon’s Header & Footer tab and then click the Picture button in the Header & Footer Elements group.  The Insert Pictures dialog opens
    4. Browse and select the image you want to show in your header – this can either be an image stored on your computer or an online image
    5. To make the image look like a watermark you can apply a washout effect.  To do this click on the Format Picture button on the Header & Footer tab (this is next to the Picture button you just used).  In the Format Picture dialog select the Picture tab and in the Color drop-down select Washout
    6. To move the image down the page, click to the left of &[Picture] in the header and press ENTER on your keyboard as many times as you need to.  You unfortunately need to come out of the header to see the image’s new position – so it’s a matter of trial and error.
    7. Click into any cell in your worksheet to come out of the header
    8. Check how the watermark will look on the printed page by using print preview: to get to print preview click on the Ribbon’s File tab and then select Print