How to Remove Watermark from Word Document in 4 Quick Ways
Most professionals or business workers prefer Microsoft Word for their day-to-day tasks, especially for applying the watermarks. This is a built-in feature in MS Word, making it easy to add text watermarks in seconds. It demonstrates ownership, but may cause issues when editing, copying, or modifying the data. Here, you seek how to remove watermark in Word document to access a clean file. Follow this guide to discover the methods. Whether it’s an image or a text-based Word watermark, it covers all. So, let’s dive into it.
What is MS Word Watermark?
In MS Word, the watermark primarily refers to faint, semi-transparent, or embedded overlay text or a static image (such as a brand name or logo) that displays behind the content. It is used to convey information among the team or users. This embedded test won’t affect readability; instead, it facilitates clear communication about document status, such as ‘under review’, ‘confidential’, ‘brand ownership’ (including name or stamp), and more.
Below are the potential purposes of adding a Word watermark:
- File Status: Professional embeds text-based watermarks, such as ‘urgent’, ‘sample file’, and ‘draft’, to ensure smooth conversation among the team.
- Company Ownership or Branding: Many companies add watermarks of their logos, stamps, and signatures using MS Word. This delivers ownership and branding of the organization.
- Restrict Sharing or Misuse: Sharing the document without a watermark widens the risk of data misuse and repurposing. Applying marks limits the activities of printing, copying, and more.
Overall, Microsoft Word is a standalone and most reliable platform for applying the watermarks. This way, you can add different types of visual marks to your document without losing formatting. Sometimes it becomes difficult to manage, so you seek ways to watermark from Word document. Before exploring methods, let’s learn more about MS Word watermarks.
In the following section, we will discover the common types of watermarks supported by MS Word. Take a look below:
- Text-based & Custom Watermarks
- Static Image-supported Watermarks or Logos
- Header or Footer-Based Embedded Watermarks
Now, follow the quick steps to add any watermark using Microsoft Word:
- Open MS Word on your system.
- Navigate to the Design section and tab Watermark.
- Now, add any watermark using Custom Watermark.
- Finally, check the marks on your Word document.
This way, you can ensure clarity, but a watermark won’t always deliver professionalism. Here, you might wonder how to remove watermark in Word. Now, let’s understand the reasons for removing the Word watermark.
Why Delete the Watermark in Word Document?
Removing the unwanted watermarks from a Word document becomes essential to improve usability. In most scenarios, watermarks are used for temporary purposes. Once it is no longer needed, you wonder how to remove the watermarks in Word files.
Both overlay text or image marks can reduce the readability or appearance. After removing the watermarks, users can view and print PDF without watermark. Below are the other benefits of deleting the watermark from Word document:
- Remove All Watermark Labels: Many times, when a document is under review, professionals use watermarks. After completion, it becomes crucial to remove watermark from Word, making it a final document.
- Improve Visual Appearance: The Word watermark often increases distraction. After removing the marks, you can access a clean document for business and other purposes. Hence, it is the best way to share files with anyone.
- Download Print-friendly Document: Whether you want to print or reuse the Word document, deleting the watermark offers several benefits. It avoids confusion and allows you to access a print and readable document instantly.
How to Remove Watermark from Word Document in Simple Steps
- To delete the watermark in Word, you need to first convert Word to PDF file.
- After downloading the PDF, run SysTools PDF Watermark Remover Software.
- Use the “Add Files” feature to browse the same document.
- Quickly move to the Save radio icon > click Change to set the path.
- Finally, select the Remove button to delete the Word watermark in seconds.
How to Delete the Watermark in Word – 4 Best Ways
If you’re wondering how to remove a watermark from Word, here are the quick methods. From free to advanced techniques, it covers all for professionals. Additionally, it features a built-in MS Word function to remove the watermark, including text or other picture-based visuals.
Here are the simple ways to remove watermark in Word document:
- Using MS Word Built-in Design Tab
- Remove Stubborn Header/ Footer Watermarks
- Try Google Docs
- Professional Software to Remove Word Watermarks
Now, let’s walk through these methods one after another.
How to Remove Watermark in Word Using MS Word (Recommended)
Microsoft Word has a built-in native feature of a watermark. Using this option, users can both apply and remove the unwanted watermarks without installing any software. Moreover, this option automatically detects the watermark and removes it in one go. Hence, it is a simple and free way of removing the watermark in Word document. Now, follow the steps to delete watermark in Word using Microsoft Word:
- Open MS Word on your PC.
- Move to the Design ribbon and click Watermark.
- After this, use Remove Watermark to delete it.
Pros of MS Word:
- It is a free and quick way of removing the watermark.
- No complex or technical challenges while deleting the marks.
Cons of Word:
- It is not a dedicated tool for deleting the watermarks.
- Sometimes, it may cause formatting issues and does not support image-based watermarks.
How to Remove a Watermark from Word – Header & Footer Stubborn Watermarks
Sometimes, the watermarks are applied in the header or footer section of the document. It is commonly known as stubborn watermarks. If you’re wondering how to remove stubborn header/ footer watermarks, the following is a step-by-step guide. Remember, the steps are completely manual. Follow the steps to delete stubborn Word watermarks:
- Again, open MS Word on your operating system.
- Perform a double-click on the header (top) or the footer (bottom) of the document.
- Tab Header & Footer editing mode > click the Watermark > press Delete.
Pros:
- This method can delete both stubborn and hidden watermarks.
- No installation of third-party software is required.
Cons:
- The approach isn’t reliable for batch processing.
- Users manually need to select Header/ Footer for watermark removal.
- The chances of losing formatting or the original layout are quite high.
How to Delete the Watermark in Word Using Google Docs
To remove watermark in Word document, try Google Docs. It is considered the best alternative to MS Word. To delete the watermark from Word, users need to convert the Word files (DOC or DOCX) to an editable format. After this, users can upload the Word document to Google Docs to remove the watermarks. Here are the quick steps to instantly remove watermark from Word document using Google Docs:
- Firstly, sign in to Google and access Google Docs.
- Move to Blank and then the File feature.
- After this, use the Open > tab Upload to add Word (or .docx) files.
- Now, select the Watermark and hit the Delete button.
- Finally, open the document in Word instantly.
Pros of Google Docs
- It is another free yet browser-based solution for all.
- If you can’t delete watermark in Word, Google Docs is the best alternative platform to use.
Cons of Google Docs
- It won’t support complex formatting or a watermark.
- The platform often changes the formatting during the removal.
- Not a standalone choice for batch processing or deletion.
How to Remove Watermark in Word Using Automated Tool (Official Solution)
If you’re wondering how to remove a watermark from Word, try the SysTools mentioned software. Using these tools, users can access the Word document (DOC or DOCX) in a readable PDF files. After this, it becomes simple or quick to remove Word watermarks without affecting the formatting.
Moreover, it is a dedicated and professional-grade tool for removing all kinds of Word-supported watermarks. Whether it’s text or image, the tool is capable to delete the watermarks from Word files. Besides this, it preserves the document formatting and elements during the process. Most importantly, the tool can remove draft watermark from PDF files. Now, let’s learn the step-by-step guide.
Guide on How to Delete Watermark in Word
- Download the SysTools mentioned tool to remove Word watermarks.
- “Add Files or Folders” to access the document in tool.

- Tab radio icon of the Save button and Change to select the destination path.

- Finally, hit the Remove key to delete the MS Word watermarks.
Remember: Before using the above steps, use SysTools Document Converter to convert Word (.doc or .docx) files to a readable format. After this, you can follow the aforementioned guide to delete the Word watermarks.
Conclusion
In the above guide, we have listed 4 ways how to remove watermark in Word. Since the built-in watermark feature of MS Word doesn’t offer premium features. So, consider the SysTools recommended utility for removing the Word-supported watermarks in batch mode.