Adding a background color to your entire document

To add a background color to a Word document, open the Design tab on the ribbon at the top of the screen, then click Page Color in the right section. A palette of colors appears — click the one you want. The color fills the entire page behind your text.

This method colors the whole document at once. Every page in that document will have the same background color unless you later remove it or change it. The color prints if you send the document to a printer, though some printers may render it slightly differently than it appears on screen.

If you want to remove the background color later, return to Design > Page Color and click No Color at the top of the palette.

Key Takeaways

  • Background color is applied through the Design tab, not through text formatting or table tools.
  • The color covers the entire page behind all text and objects, not individual paragraphs or sections.
  • Background colors print with the document, so they are visible in printed copies.
  • You can change or remove the background color at any time without affecting the text itself.
  • If you want only part of a document colored, use a table or text box with a fill color instead of page color.

Why page color is different from highlighting text

Page color and text highlighting are two separate tools that do different things. Highlighting applies color only to the text you select, while page color fills the entire background behind everything on the page. If you highlight a sentence, only that sentence has a colored background. If you use page color, the whole page is colored, including the margins.

Highlighting is found in the Home tab under the marker icon. Page color is in the Design tab. They do not interfere with each other — you can use both in the same document if you want some text highlighted and the whole page colored.

Using a table or text box for partial background color

If you want only part of your document to have a background color, page color will not work because it colors the entire page. Instead, insert a table or text box and give that object a fill color.

To use a table: Insert a table with one column and as many rows as you need. Right-click the table, select Table Properties, go to the Shading tab, and choose your color. Type your text inside the table cells. The colored background will only cover the area inside the table.

To use a text box: Go to the Insert tab, click Text Box, and draw a box on the page. Type your text inside it. Right-click the box border, select Shape Fill, and choose a color. The background color will only fill the text box, not the whole page.

What happens to background color when you share the document

When you email a Word document with a background color to someone else, the color travels with the file. The person who opens it will see the same background color you set, as long as they open it in Word or a compatible program like Google Docs or LibreOffice.

If someone converts your document to PDF, the background color usually converts as well and appears in the PDF. However, if someone copies text from your document and pastes it into a new document, only the text transfers — the background color does not follow the text.

Choosing colors that work with your text

A background color should be light enough that text remains readable. Dark text on a dark background or light text on a light background becomes hard to read. If you choose a dark background color, consider changing your text to white or light gray so it stands out.

To change text color, select the text, go to the Home tab, click the arrow next to the Font Color icon (the "A" with a colored line), and choose a new color. Test your document by printing a page or viewing it on screen to make sure the text is clear before you finalize it.

Background color in different Word versions

The steps described here work in Word 2016 and later, including Word 2019, Word 2021, and Microsoft 365. In older versions of Word, the page color tool may be located in a different tab or have a different name — it might be called Page Color under Format instead of Design.

If you are using Word Online (the free version in your web browser), the Design tab is still present, but some color options may be limited compared to the desktop version. The basic steps remain the same: click Design, then Page Color, then select your color.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does background color affect how the document prints?

Yes, background color prints with the document. However, some printers may not print background colors by default — you may need to change your printer settings to include background colors in the printout. Check your printer preferences before printing an important document.

Can I use different background colors on different pages?

Not with the page color tool, which colors the entire document the same way. To have different colors on different pages, divide your document into sections, then explore page color to each section separately. Go to Layout > Breaks > Section Breaks to create sections, then explore color to each one.

What if the color palette does not have the exact color I want?

Click More Colors at the bottom of the color palette to open a larger color picker. You can enter a specific color code (RGB or hex) if you know the exact shade you need, or use the color picker tool to select from millions of colors.

Will the background color stay if I save the document as a PDF?

Yes, when you export or save a Word document as PDF, the background color converts to the PDF. The color will appear in the PDF file when opened in any PDF reader.