The Draft watermark appears behind your text by default in Word
When you open a new document in Microsoft Word, you will see the word "DRAFT" printed diagonally across the page behind your text. This is a watermark — a background image that does not print unless you specifically tell Word to include it. If you do not want to see it while you work, or if you want to remove it entirely before sharing the document, you can delete it in about thirty seconds.
The Draft watermark is Word's way of marking documents that are not yet final. It appears in the background of every new document by default, but it is not locked in place. You can remove it, replace it with a different watermark, or leave it there — the choice is yours, and changing it does not affect the actual content of your document.
Key Takeaways
- The Draft watermark sits behind your text and does not print unless you turn on the "Print Layout" view option that includes backgrounds.
- You remove the Draft watermark by opening the Design tab, clicking Watermark, and selecting "Remove Watermark" from the menu.
- If you want a different watermark instead of Draft, the Design tab also offers preset options like "Confidential" or "Do Not Copy".
- Removing the watermark affects only the current document, not your default settings for future documents.
How to delete the Draft watermark in three steps
Open your Word document and look at the top of the window where you see tabs labeled Home, Insert, Design, and others. Click the Design tab.
Once you are on the Design tab, look for the Watermark button in the toolbar. It usually appears in the middle-right area of the ribbon and shows a small image of a watermarked page. Click it to open a dropdown menu.
At the very bottom of the dropdown menu, you will see Remove Watermark. Click it. The Draft watermark will disappear from your document when ready. That is all there is to it — you do not need to save or confirm anything.
Where the Draft watermark actually appears
The Draft watermark shows up in the background of your document when you are working in Word, but it behaves differently depending on how you are viewing the file. In Print Layout view — the default view most people use — you will see the watermark behind your text on the screen. In other views like Outline or Draft view, the watermark does not appear at all, even though it is still there in the document itself.
When you print the document, the watermark will not print unless you have turned on a specific setting in Word's print options. This is why many people do not realize the watermark is there until they share the document with someone else or print it with backgrounds enabled. If you want to be certain the watermark does not appear in any printed version, removing it is the safest approach.
Replacing Draft with a different watermark
If you do not want the Draft watermark but you do want some kind of watermark on the document, Word offers several built-in options. Open the Design tab again and click Watermark. Instead of clicking Remove Watermark, choose from the preset options in the menu — you will see choices like "Confidential," "Do Not Copy," "Urgent," and others.
Each preset watermark appears in the same diagonal style as Draft, but with different text. If none of the presets match what you need, you can also create a custom watermark by clicking the Watermark button and selecting "Custom Watermark" at the bottom of the menu. This opens a dialog where you can type any text you want and adjust the font, size, and color.
Why Word includes the Draft watermark by default
Microsoft includes the Draft watermark on new documents as a visual reminder that the document is not yet final. It is a common practice in professional and academic writing to mark work-in-progress documents this way, so readers know the content may still change. Once you remove the watermark, there is no visual indicator that the document is a draft — it looks like a finished document.
This is why some organizations ask people to keep the Draft watermark on internal documents until they are officially approved. If you work in an environment where document status matters, check with your team before removing the watermark, or ask whether they prefer a different watermark like "Confidential" or "For Review Only."
Watermarks and document sharing
When you send a Word document to someone else, the watermark travels with it. If you remove the Draft watermark before sending the file, the recipient will not see it. If you keep it, they will see it in their copy of the document — unless they are viewing it in a mode where watermarks do not display, like Outline view.
Some people remove the Draft watermark because they think it makes the document look more polished or final. Others keep it as a way to signal that the document is still being worked on. There is no technical reason to choose one way or the other — it is purely a matter of how you want the document to appear to yourself and to anyone you share it with.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does removing the watermark change anything about how the document prints?
No. The Draft watermark does not print by default anyway, so removing it makes no difference to printed output. If you had turned on the option to print backgrounds, the watermark would have printed before you removed it — and it will not print after you remove it.
Will the watermark come back if I close and reopen the document?
No. Once you remove the watermark and save the document, it stays removed. The watermark is part of the document itself, not a default setting that reappears each time you open the file.
Can I remove the watermark from multiple documents at once?
No. You have to remove the watermark from each document individually by opening it, going to Design, clicking Watermark, and selecting Remove Watermark. There is no batch option to remove watermarks from many files at the same time.
What if I cannot find the Design tab?
The Design tab appears in the ribbon at the top of the window in Word for Windows and Word for Mac. If you do not see it, make sure you are in Print Layout view — some other views hide the Design tab. You can switch to Print Layout view by clicking View at the top and selecting Print Layout.
Can I set Word to never show the Draft watermark on new documents?
No. Word does not have a setting to change the default watermark for all new documents. Every new document starts with the Draft watermark, and you have to remove it manually each time if you do not want it. You can create a template without the watermark and use that template for new documents instead.