The fastest way to change your canvas background
Open the File menu, select Document Setup, and look for the Artboard tab. Under Background Color, click the checkbox next to White (or whatever color is currently shown), then click the color swatch to open the color picker. Choose your color and click OK. This changes what you see on screen and what prints or exports with your file.
The background color you set here is permanent — it stays with your document every time you open it. This is different from the canvas color, which is just what you see while working. If you want to change only what you see temporarily (without affecting the actual file), use the View menu instead, but most people want the permanent change that File > Document Setup provides.
The color you pick becomes the artboard background. Anything you draw on top of it will sit on that colored surface. If you export to PDF or print, that background color comes with it.
Key Takeaways
- Go to File > Document Setup > Artboard tab to find the Background Color checkbox and color swatch.
- The background color you set here stays with your document and appears in exports and prints.
- If you only want to change what you see on screen temporarily, use View > Hide Print Artboards instead.
- You can set a different background color for each artboard in a multi-artboard document by selecting each artboard separately.
Finding the background color option when Document Setup looks different
If you are using an older version of Illustrator (CS6 or earlier), the path is slightly different. Open File, then look for Document Color Mode or Artboard Options — the exact menu name changed between versions. In very old versions, you may need to go to Window > Artboards to see the artboard panel on the right side, then right-click an artboard and choose Artboard Options.
Newer versions (2020 and later) moved this to File > Document Setup, which is where you should look first. If you cannot find it there, check your version number in Help > About Adobe Illustrator, then search Adobe's support site for your specific version — the menu structure shifted a few times over the years.
Changing the background for just one artboard in a multi-artboard file
If your document has multiple artboards and you want different background colors on each one, select the artboard you want to change by clicking on its name in the Artboards panel (Window > Artboards if you do not see it). Then go to File > Document Setup, and the background color you set will explore only to that selected artboard.
This is useful when you are designing multiple pages or variations and want each one to have its own background. Set the first artboard's color, then select the next artboard and repeat. Each one remembers its own color independently.
The difference between background color and canvas color
The background color (set in File > Document Setup) is the actual color of your artboard — it exports, prints, and stays with the file. The canvas color is just what you see behind your artboards while you work. You can change the canvas color from View > Hide Print Artboards or by clicking the small color square at the bottom of the toolbox, but this does not affect your actual document.
Most of the time, you want to change the background color, not the canvas color. The canvas color is just a visual preference for working — some people like a dark gray background to make colors pop, others prefer white. But if you want that background to actually be part of your design, use File > Document Setup instead.
What happens when you export or print with a background color
When you export your file as a PDF, PNG, or other format, the background color comes with it by default. If you export as PDF and open it in another program, you will see that colored background. The same is true for printing — the background color will print on your paper (or show as colored in a digital print preview).
If you do not want the background to export, you have two options: either set the background back to white before exporting, or use the export settings to remove the background. In the export dialog, look for an option like Transparency or Background and turn it off. The exact option depends on your file format — PDF and PNG handle this differently.
Troubleshooting: background color is not showing up
If you set a background color but do not see it on your canvas, check whether Hide Print Artboards is turned on. Go to View and look for this option — if it has a checkmark, click it to turn it off. This will show your artboard and its background color. Another reason might be that your artboard is smaller than your canvas, so the background is hidden behind the gray workspace — zoom out or fit the artboard to the window to see it properly.
If the background color is set but still not visible, make sure you are looking at the artboard itself, not just the canvas. The artboard is the white (or colored) rectangle in the middle of your workspace. If you see only gray around your work, you are looking at the canvas, and you need to check View > Show Print Artboards to make sure the artboard is visible.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I have different background colors on different artboards?
Yes. Select each artboard in the Artboards panel, then go to File > Document Setup and set the background color for that artboard. Each artboard remembers its own color independently, so you can have one artboard with a white background and another with blue.
Does the background color print?
Yes, by default it does. If you do not want it to print, change the background back to white before printing, or check your printer settings for an option to ignore background colors. Some printers have this built in.
What if I want a transparent background instead of a color?
Illustrator does not support transparent artboard backgrounds — the background is always a solid color. If you need transparency, export as PNG with transparency turned on in the export settings, or flatten your design and delete the background layer before exporting.
How do I change just the canvas color, not the artboard background?
Click the small color square at the bottom of the toolbox (or go to View > Hide Print Artboards), then choose a new color. This changes only what you see while working and does not affect your actual document or exports.
I set a background color but it disappeared when I closed and reopened the file.
Make sure you saved the file after changing the background color. Go to File > Save (or Save As) to write the change to disk. If you closed without saving, the background color change was lost.