by Ekaterina Bespalaya, updated on
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.
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.
Your watermark image is almost ready, you just need to resize and rotate it to make it look good. What are the next steps?
Now you are set for inserting the created and saved image into the header as described below.
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.
Your worksheet automatically switches to the Page Layout view and a new HEADER & FOOTER TOOLS tab appears in the Ribbon.
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.
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.
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:
You may experiment a bit to achieve the desirable position for the watermark.
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.
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!
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.
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