Hello, my name is Erin. This tutorial shows how to change the page background color in Microsoft Word. In addition, we will look at how to print Word documents with their background color. Plus, the Pro Tip at the end shows a workaround to change the background color on specific pages in your Word document. Today I’ll be using Word for Microsoft 365. These steps also apply to the standalone versions of the software back to Word 2013. If you’re on a Mac, please see this tutorial’s companion video titled “How to Change the Page Background Color in Word for Mac,” which is linked below. The steps we’re going to go through in this section will change the page background color for your entire document. If you want to learn a workaround to change the page background color for a specific page, remember to stay tuned for the Pro Tip at the end of this tutorial. To begin, select the Design tab in the ribbon. Then, select the Page Color button in the Page Background group. Next, choose a color from the drop-down menu. Alternatively, you can select More Colors and then choose advanced color options from the Colors dialog box. Or, select Fill Effects and then choose advanced gradient, texture, pattern, or picture options from the Fill Effects dialog box. Today I’m going to choose one of the standard theme colors. After making your choice, your page background color should change immediately. If you want to remove the page background color, reselect the Page Color button, and then select No Color from the drop-down menu. By default, your Word options are usually set to print documents without page background colors because they require a lot of printer
ink. However, you can print the page background colors if you want to. You can also use these steps if you want to prevent your document from printing page background colors. It’s important to note that when you print page background colors, there will usually be a white margin around the whole page because most printers can’t print from edge to edge. To begin, select the File tab in the ribbon. Next, select Options in the Backstage view. When the Word Options dialog box appears, select the Display tab. And then select Print Background colors and images. Alternatively, uncheck this option if you don't want background colors to print. Note that the “images” mentioned in the option refer to images used in page backgrounds, not regular images inserted into your text. When you’re finished, select the OK button. And then continue to print your document as you normally would. Word doesn’t currently provide a way to change the page background color on specific pages. However, we can use the rectangle shape as a quick workaround. It’s important to note that the shapes used in this workaround don’t officially become part of the page background. Therefore, they will print as normal images inserted into your text. So, please keep that in mind if you plan to print your document. To begin, reduce the zoom on your screen so that you can see the whole page on your screen. I am going to reduce my zoom down to 50 percent. Next, select the Insert tab in the ribbon. And then select the Shapes button in the Illustrations group. From there, select the rectangle shape in the drop-down menu. Now, drag a rectangle over the entire page. The rectangle will appear translucent blue when dragged. Next, select the Shape Fill menu arrow in the Shape Styles group. And then select a color from the drop-down menu. Alternatively, you can select More Fill Colors, Picture, Gradient, or Texture for additional options. After choosing your color,
right-click the rectangle, and then select the Send to Back menu arrow. Followed by Send Behind Text from the submenu. Your text should now be visible and you can return the zoom to a normal level. If you want to delete the rectangle background color later on, select it by clicking in the margin area, and then press the Delete key on your keyboard. And as always, remember to save your file to save your changes. I have created many other videos about Microsoft Word including “How to Insert and Modify Images in Microsoft Word.” And, “How to Change Page Orientation in Microsoft Word.” Please see the complete list in the playlist titled “How to Use Microsoft Word” which is linked in the description box below. All the steps we just performed are listed with images on erinwrightwriting.com, along with all my other writing-related software tutorials to help you succeed at work and in the classroom. Feel free to leave me a comment if there’s a specific topic that you would like me to talk about in the future. And please subscribe to my channel so you don’t miss upcoming tutorials. And give this video a thumbs-up if you found it helpful. Thank you so much for watching! [Typewriter sounds]
